Replay
by LadyAlarah
Summary: Deadliest Catch: Eliza moves to Seattle to start a new life with her daughter Alice. Will a certain fisherman sweep her off her feet or is she destined to be alone?
1. Seattle, Here I Come

_5 more minutes,_ she thought looking at the clock for the umpteenth time that day. Eliza Hanover was not normally a clock watcher, but today signaled the last day of the horrible job that had been a necessity for the past 4 years. She got her degree 2 weeks ago, and had finally accepted a job offer in Seattle. It had taken her almost 4 years to get the 2 year RN degree, but she had done it. On her own. As a single parent. Now, she was getting the hell out of dodge, otherwise known as Phoenix, Arizona. She had stayed and gone to school here to keep her 6 year old daughter, Alice, near her paternal grandparents. It wasn't their fault their son was a piece of shit excuse for a man. But now she had to move on and do what was right for her. And that meant moving somewhere new and not being known as the poor waitress who was left by her husband for a porn star. Being cheated on hurt no matter what, but it was even worse to discover your husband was a cheating bastard by seeing it in the tabloids. There were pictures taken of the two of them at a club opening in LA, when he was supposed to be in Denver for a business meeting. That was five years ago. When the divorce was finalized and the dust settled, Eliza knew she had to do something to support herself and her daughter. So she decided to finally go to nursing school.

Eliza glanced at the clock again. _Finally, 3 o clock. I'm so outta here._ She quickly took off her apron and grabbed her purse and keys. Nobody here gave a shit about her anyway, and she left without a word. Cranking up her car, Eliza smiled broadly as Def Leppard began blasting from her stereo. It was just what she needed to end her last day in Arizona. She was on her way to pick up Alice from school, it was her last day of kindergarten, and then they were off to the airport. All of her stuff had already been sent ahead of them, a friend from high school offering to have it set up in their apartment before she arrived. Her brother ran a trucking company and was going to pick up her car from the airport on his next shipment and bring it to Seattle for her. In the meantime, she would rent a car when she got into Seattle. There was no way she was driving all that way with a 6 year old.

She pulled up to the elementary school, seeing her daughter waiting patiently next to her teacher. She honked the horn and the little girl looked up, a grin widening across her face, showing off perfect little dimples. Her auburn hair was no longer up in the pretty French braid it started out in that morning, instead it was blowing softly across her face in the breeze. Her steel grey eyes lit up with excitement and with a final hug to her teacher, she was running to the car, where Eliza was now waiting with the back door open. Eliza was thankful that Alice looked like her and not her father. He hadn't even seen their child in 3 years, when his half assed attempts of visiting their daughter trickled down to nothing. No, Alice was a spitting image of Eliza at that age, other than the hair color. Eliza's was lighter, a coppery orange version of a true red, versus Alice's darker almost brunette auburn color. But their eyes were the exact same shade of steely gray, set against pale, creamy white skin, courtesy of Eliza's Irish heritage. They both had the same splattering of freckles across the bridge of their nose that became more prominent in the summertime. Eliza buckled Alice into the booster seat and got back into the driver's seat, heading towards the airport.

"Are you excited to go to Seattle?" she asked, glancing at Alice in the rearview mirror. "We get to see Auntie Laci and meet her husband."

"Boys are icky Mom." Came the response from the backseat. "But I'm glad I'll get to see Aunt Laci. I miss her."

Laci Henderson, now Fourtner, had been Eliza's best friend since 6th grade. Eliza had met her ex-husband, James, their junior year of high school. He was in college and with his bad boy ways had immediately ensnared the attention of a young Eliza. They had gotten engaged right after Eliza graduated high school, much to Laci's dismay. She was adamant that he was bad news and lo and behold she was right. However, the younger Eliza didn't know what the older now did, and when she was twenty, she married James. She now suspected that he cheated on her multiple times during their 3 year marriage, but she was unable to see it at the time. 14 short months into their marriage, Eliza had gotten pregnant with Alice. Once the baby was born, James became more and more distant, never wanting to be around the baby. It was obvious now that things did not go as he planned, and Eliza should have known after 6 months without sex that he was getting it somewhere else. Laci was the first one Eliza called when she found the tabloid. Laci was immediately comforting, never once saying "I told you so." She came out to Arizona for a few weeks, saying that since her husband was out fishing anyways, the least she could do was be there for Eliza. Strangely, in the 6 years that Laci had been married, Eliza had yet to meet her husband, Matt or Mike, was his name. He was a fisherman on that reality show, but Eliza hadn't had time to watch TV since school started. She was looking forward to meeting him, Laci seemed very happy with him. Plus, he gathered some of his fisherman buddies to help her move in, which immediately granted him points in her book.

Laci bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet, looking out the window yet again. Eliza had called her about 15 minutes ago, saying she was leaving the airport. She should be here any minute, and some of the boys were still here putting the finishing touches on the rental.

"Laci, chill. She'll be here soon." Mike called to her from the living room, where he, John, and Josh were setting up the flat screen TV on the wall.

"I know, I know. I just haven't seen her in forever and she hasn't met you yet. God, Alice must be so big now. She wasn't even 2 when I saw her last." Laci rambled, before looking over at Mike. He was giving her the _Chill the fuck out _look and she smiled apologetically at him.

"Dude, she's never met you Mike?" Josh piped up. "Isn't that a little strange?"

"Nah, I was fishing the couple times she visited and then after the divorce, she didn't have money to come visit. She was going to nursing school." Mike explained. He may not have met her, but Laci had filled him in over the years about her best friend.

Laci suddenly opened the front door, the sounds of a car and Queen's "We Will Rock You" filtering into the apartment. "She's here!" she exclaimed excitedly, running out to greet her.

The men slowly followed, not wanting to be rude in the woman's own home. As they stepped outside, they were greeted with the sight of the two women hugging each other tightly, the rental SUV pulled haphazardly across the two spaces in front of the apartment.

Josh Harris was not normally one to be caught doing manual labor on a Friday night if he was home in Seattle. But there he was at some random chick's place at 6pm on a Friday night, helping make sure Mike got laid later. Mike's wife Laci had some friend moving to Seattle and for the past few days, he, John Hillstrand, and for a few hours, his brother Jake had been enlisted to help unpack the girl's apartment. She obviously had a small child, looked like a girl from the stuff he'd been unpacking. He was surprised to learn that Mike had never met her, and was about to ask some more questions, when Laci shot out of the door like a bat outta hell. He heard Queen floating in through the open front door and looked at John with a shrug. At least the girl had good taste in music.

As he stepped out of the door, he noticed Laci hugging a tall redhead. She pulled away from Laci and Josh got a better look at her. She was smoking hot! Her hair was a weird orangey red color that seemed to suit her pale skin. She was wearing a tight fitting pair of ripped jeans and a dark green tank top. She had "pin up girl" heels on that accentuated her amazing legs. The woman was definitely a looker. She let out a little girl that looked like a smaller version of her who immediately hugged "Aunt" Laci.

"Hey, I'm Mike, Laci's husband." Fourtner introduced himself to the woman. "It's nice to finally meet you. Oh, these are some friends of mine, John Hillstrand and Josh Harris." He pointed to each man with the introduction.

"Hey, I'm Eliza. Nice to meet you guys. And thanks for helping with my apartment." She said with a smile, walking around to the trunk and starting to get some bags out. She even walked sexy, Josh thought to himself.

"Damn, that is one fine piece of ass." John whispered, elbowing Josh. "Let's go help her with her bags."

Josh couldn't agree more. Once they helped her get her bags in the house, Laci and Mike started to leave, giving the small family some time to settle in. Josh was the last one left, and finally worked up the nerve to say "If you want I can finish setting up the TV and cable so you guys can watch something later."

Eliza smiled brightly, walking into the kitchen. "That sounds great." She called out. "I'll make you dinner while you are doing that." Josh couldn't believe his good fortune.

Eliza rummaged around in the kitchen for something to make. Thankfully, Laci had stocked up her cabinets and fridge with all the essentials. She set about making some baked chicken and rice, glancing into the living room to see Alice watching Josh intently. He was kind of cute, and looked to be around her age. Eliza had not dated since her divorce, concentrating fully on her daughter and school. But now, she was done with school and what better way to settle into a new town than to have a little fun. Maybe she could convince him to take her on a date. She watched Alice scoot closer to Josh, and could see them talking. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but all of a sudden both Josh and Alice started laughing. Eliza went back to cooking, pleased with the fact that her daughter seemed to be getting along with him.

45 minutes later, the cable was working and dinner was done. "I'll make the table for you. I put everything up, so I may know my way around this kitchen better than you." Josh joked, appearing in the doorway. He casually leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, shooting a grin in her direction. "Alice is washing up for dinner."

"That would be great. And thanks again for all your help." Eliza couldn't help but be shocked at how well this was going. He seemed so comfortable here, and didn't shy away from interaction with her daughter. Not to mention she was completely comfortable in his presence.

The three of them proceeded to have a nice, relaxed dinner and Josh excused himself when he heard it was time for Alice's bedtime. They exchanged numbers and he promised to give her a call the next day and show them around Seattle. _Yes,_ Eliza thought to herself after he left, a smile on her face, _things are definitely looking up here._


	2. Breakfast and Sights

**Here's chapter 2. Hopefully people are liking this. Thanks for the review amethystsea! I appreciate it. :)**

Eliza opened her eyes, immediately greeted with a matching set of grey ones staring right at her. "What time is it baby?" she asked her daughter, who obviously wanted her to get out of bed.

"It's 9:15 mommy, time to get up. I'm hungry." Alice replied, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip. "I know you told me not to answer your phone, but I did. It was Josh, he's coming over at 9:30 and bringing us breakfast. I asked him to."

With that, Eliza bolted straight up in bed. There was no way she was going to look presentable in 15 minutes. "We will talk about this later." She said sternly to the six year old, quickly getting out of bed. "Go get dressed before he gets here." And with that she was off to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and her hair, pulling it into a messy bun. It would have to do. She was pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt when she heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it mommy, it's Josh." Alice said from the living room. _Oh hell no. _Eliza thought to herself, quickly throwing on her shirt and exiting the bedroom. She had the shirt halfway down her stomach when she came to a complete halt. There was Josh, standing in her foyer, not hiding the appreciation from his gaze. _Can anyone say awkward?_

"Alice, what have I told you about opening the door? You never do that." She gently scolded, trying to calm her heart rate back down to a normal level.

"You were busy getting pretty for him, so I let him in." Alice said matter of factly. Six year olds had no filter and Eliza felt her cheeks getting warm. _Oh Jesus._ She thought to herself.

There was instantly a smirk on Josh's face at this proclamation, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he held up a grocery bag with a few brown paper bags in it. "I brought breakfast. There's a really great diner down the street from here and Alice pretty much insisted I bring her some food."

She walked over to him and took the bag a little forcefully, my embarrassment still fresh in my mind. "Oh, so now you take orders from a six year old?" She called over her shoulder, walking into the dining area, grabbing plates on her way.

"Only when their moms are super hot." He replied, a huge grin on his face. "Since you were getting pretty for me, I'm assuming the feeling is mutual."

Eliza scoffed at him, "You know what they say about assuming." She replied, unable to keep a smirk from forming on her face. _Dear Lord, am I flirting with him? And is he flirting back? _It had been so long since Eliza had done anything like this. She didn't flirt, hadn't in over 10 years before meeting James.

"Yea yea, whatever. You know I'm sexy." He said, helping her get all of the breakfast ready and on the table.

"If you grown ups are done being gross, is it time to eat?" Alice said, peeking her head around the corner into the dining area.

They both laughed and Eliza motioned her daughter over. They were just sitting down when Eliza heard her phone from the other room. _'Cause I going make you see- there's nobody else here, No one like me.I'm special, so special.I got to have some of your.. _Eliza picked up her phone, placing it to her ear. "Hey Lac."

"Hey girl, how was your first night? Me and Mike were gonna come by and take you out to breakfast and to see the sights." Eliza heard Laci's cheerful voice on the other end.

"It was good. Um, I'm kinda eating already. Josh brought by breakfast and we were just sitting down with Alice to eat. You can join us and we can see the sights together." Eliza responded nervously, a blush quickly spreading up her face.

"Omg LIZA! He's totally into you." Her best friend squealed into the phone. Eliza heard Mike in the background "_Jesus woman, that pitch is unnatural. What in the world elicited that?"_ Eliza waited patiently as Laci excitedly told Mike exactly who was at Eliza's apartment.

"Um, Lac, I'm gonna go now." Eliza said after a few minutes.

"Okay girl. Enjoy your time with Joshy! We won't intrude on your time with lover boy. However, all three of you need to be at my place tonight at 6:30. We are having a Welcome to Seattle party with a bunch of the guys and their families. Josh knows how to get there."

"Laci, we are just hanging out. And we will be there, don't worry. I'll see ya then." Eliza rolled her eyes walking back towards the dining area, where Josh and Alice had already started eating.

"I want details, lots of details!" Laci shouted before hanging up.

Eliza put the phone down on the kitchen counter and took a seat at the table. "Sorry about that. We have to be at Mike and Laci's tonight at 6:30. There's a Welcome to Seattle party going down with some of your friends and their families." She relayed to Josh.

"Cool, we can head over there after we check out Seattle. If you're still game that is." Josh replied.

Eliza nodded in response and the three of them ate breakfast filled with lots of conversation, especially from Alice. They then headed out to show Eliza and Alice around Seattle, Josh filling her in on all of the good places to eat and showing her where the hospital was that she would be working at. Then he took her by the docks.

"So, the Cornelia Marie is not docked here. It's in Kodiak. But the Northwestern and the Wizard are here right now if you want to see them." Josh was saying as they walked from the parking area.

"I'm so lost right now. Are those boat names?" Eliza said, Alice walking beside her, holding her hand tightly.

"You don't watch Deadliest Catch?" Josh said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that the show Mike's on? I don't watch a lot of TV, I've had my hands full with Alice and school." Eliza replied with a shrug.

"Oh wow. You just get more and more perfect." Josh smiled at her, now walking backwards to face her. "Yea, I'm on it too. My boat is the Cornelia Marie. But the guys on the Northwestern are pretty awesome. They should be at the party tonight."

He turned back around and led them to a huge white and blue ship. Eliza could see from the lettering that this was the Northwestern. It was massive. Eliza hadn't seen much more besides the little fishing boats her dad used to take out on the lake. This was definitely different. All of a sudden, a head popped over the side of the ship.

"Hey Josh, what's up dude?" A scruffy haired man with bright blue eyes called out.

"Jake, this is Eliza and Alice. They are the guests of honor at Mike and Laci's tonight. Eliza, Alice, this is Jake Anderson." Josh introduced everyone.

"Nice to meet you." Eliza called out to him. "Nice boat. It's really big."

"That's what all the ladies say." Jake replied with a smirk. "I've got lots to do so I can make it tonight. Me, Norm, and Edgar are working on some stuff. We'll see ya there." And with that he was gone again.

After about an hour of looking around the docks, they were headed back to the car. It was about 5 o clock, so they decided to head to over to Mike and Laci's now and see if they needed help with anything. About 30 minutes later, they pulled into a nice suburban neighborhood with moderate sized houses and nice, big yards. Josh pulled into a driveway that already had 4 cars in it.

"Looks like some other people are here already. You ready for this?" He asked, smiling at Eliza. At her nod, they both got out of the car and Eliza helped Alice out. _Here goes nothing_, she thought to herself. _I'm going to meet a lot of people tonight. Don't screw this up._

**Next chapter she meets a lot of fisherman. Will Josh have some competition?**_  
_


	3. Party Time!

**Ok, I can't stay away from this story. I literally wrote this out while my kids played with their easter toys. I think I'm hooked. **_  
_

_Alright, you can do this, _she thought to herself as Josh rang the doorbell. Laci came to the door, opening it with a smile on her face.

"Hey there you guys. Have a good time today?" she asked innocently, a small smile on her lips. "Was Josh a good tour guide?"

Eliza just glared at her friend, willing her to shut her mouth. "It was great," she replied, following Laci into the house, "Alice and I got to see a lot of cool things." She kept following Laci, out into the backyard, where she was greeted by new and familiar faces. She saw Mike and John hanging out by the grill together, along with a new face. There were 3 men standing by a table in the opposite corner of the deck, and a woman out in the yard, watching two kids play. Eliza gave a small smile and Laci ushered her over to the grill. Alice took off into the backyard to play and Josh joined the men at the table.

"Eliza, you remember John," Mike said when they got closer, nodding towards him. "This is his brother, Andy. They are my captains on the Time Bandit."

"Nice to meet you." Andy said with a wink. "Hope my idiot brother didn't break anything at your house."

Eliza laughed and responded, "I think everything is intact."

"Damn straight it is." John replied gruffly, playfully slinging an arm around Eliza's shoulder. "You don't mind him sweetheart. I'm the fun Captain." Eliza had to admit, there was something about him that just oozed sex appeal. If she thought he might be interested in something other than sex, Josh wouldn't have a chance. However, she was not looking to get involved with another bad boy anytime soon. _Yea, cuz that turned out so great the first time._ She thought to herself sarcastically.

In the meantime, Josh had wandered over to the table that housed 3 Hansen brothers. "How's it going guys? Jake mentioned you were finishing up some stuff for the boat. Didn't think you'd be here this early." He said, leaning against the deck railing.

"We finished up earlier than we thought. Junior is getting your brother." Edgar replied, then nodded his head towards Eliza. "Norm wants to know who that bombshell over there is."

Norman's face turned red and he glared at Edgar, "I just asked who she was." He responded quietly.

"That's Eliza." Josh answered trying to sound casual. "She's Laci's friend, the one this party is for."

"Wow, is she single?" Edgar glanced over at her again, watching her laugh at something Andy said.

"Yeah, she is. But back off please, I really like her and she seems to like me too." Josh quickly answered, no longer sounding remotely casual about it. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I even like her kid."

A smirk crossed Edgar's face and Josh knew he was about to get some ribbing from the older man. "Josh has a crush." He said in an obnoxious sing song voice. Josh rolled his eyes, not bothering to acknowledge what was said.

"Leave the kid alone, I'm trying to relax here." Sig spoke up for the first time, mock glaring over at his youngest brother. "Jake Squared will be here soon, then there will be no rest for the weary."

All four laughed at that. Josh saw Eliza headed their way, John right behind her. He was checking out her backside as she walked, not bothering to hide what he was doing. Josh instantly found himself growing upset. _Why can't everyone just back the fuck off,_ he thought to himself.

"Eliza, this is Edgar, Norman, and Sig. They own and operate the Northwestern." Josh introduced them, sliding over so Eliza could stand next to him.

"Nice to meet you." Eliza answered, a shy smile on her face. "I'm going to have to watch the show just to keep track of everyone."

"You don't watch the show? I figured being a friend of Laci's, you would have seen it just cuz of Mike." Edgar looked surprised. "Besides, why else would you be interested in Josh?" He said the last part with a shit eating grin on his face. Both Josh and Eliza blushed, and before she got a chance to respond, John was singing loudly, "Josh and Liza sitting in a tree, F-U-C-..OWW!" Josh punched him in the arm hard, glaring at the captain. "You are so dead Harris."

With that, both men took off into the yard, John running after Josh, yelling about how he "needed to respect his elders and Captains."

"What's going on out there?" asked a new voice, the sound of the sliding door preceding the statement.

Eliza turned around to see two men in the doorway, the one from the boat earlier and a dark haired tattooed man. "John's teasing Josh about his crush on Eliza here." Edgar said, taking Josh's spot beside Eliza. "So, you interested in Josh too hun?"

Eliza could feel her cheeks heating up, knowing she was turning red. _Damn my pale complexion_, she thought. "Um, I mean I like him, if that's what you're asking." She responded deciding it was high time to seek Laci out. "I'll see you guys later." She retreated to the house, recalling Laci stepping back inside a few minutes earlier.

"Good job, Ed. You successfully ran her off." Sig said after she had left.

"She's too shy, she needs to lighten up if she's gonna hang with us fishermen." Ed shrugged it off, trying not to feel bad about his teasing.

"That Eliza?" Jake H. asked taking a seat at the table. "My brother wouldn't shut up about her last night. I see why, she's hot."

"Yea, she was with him earlier at the docks. He said he was showing her around Seattle, aka He's trying to hit that." Jake A joined the conversation, also taking a seat.

At that moment, Josh and John were returning to the deck, both sporting wrinkled clothes and some grass stains. "What's up?" Josh asked, slapping hands with his brother before resuming his previous position, shoving Ed over. "Where's Liza?"

"Ed embarrassed her, she went inside." Jake H answered his brother's question. "I heard her say she likes you before she left though."

Josh tried to contain his grin, the guys were already giving him shit as it was. "That's cool." Internally however, he was not so calm. _She likes me, she likes me._

Inside, Eliza had tracked down Laci in the kitchen, and was helping her chop some veggies to be grilled later.

"Alright, spill it girl. What's going on with you and Josh?" Laci said from the other side of the island they were working on. "I saw the way you two were looking at each other."

"Well, I cooked him dinner last night since he was still working on my cable." Eliza began, and then proceeded to tell her friend the whole story. After she finished, Laci ran around the counter and squeezed her in a tight hug. "Oh my god Eliza, this is so awesome. Josh is a really great guy and it's about time you found someone!"

"Slow down Laci, it's not like we're dating or anything. He was just being nice and EVERY guy flirts." Eliza responded, trying not to get too excited. What if it was nothing?

"Oh whatever, Liza. He totally wants you." Laci resumed her chopping, waving her knife towards Eliza casually. "I give it a week tops and you guys will have totally made out."

Eliza blushed at this thought. No way he was into her like that. She was a divorced single mom. Guys didn't want all that baggage. But she found herself imagining them kissing, wondering what his lips would feel like against hers, his hand tangling itself in her hair…

"Earth to Eliza." She heard Laci saying, a huge smile on her face. "You are so into him. Quit imaging him naked and go take this out to Mike and Andy." She passed Eliza a bowl of chopped up squash, zuccinni, and broccoli. With a bright red blush, Eliza took the bowl and headed for the door.

Upon opening the door, she heard Alice laughing loudly and screaming "you can't catch me!" Eliza looked into the yard to see Josh chasing her around, making ridiculous dinosaur noises. She smiled and brought the bowl of vegetables over to Mike and Andy. They looked at her knowingly, and Mike spoke up, "He's playing with your kid. He definitely wants you."

Eliza didn't blush this time, just smiled and watched the two playing in the yard. "She's never like this with strangers, especially guys."

Andy patted her on the back, a smirk on his face. "It's gonna break my brother's heart that you hooking up with Josh." Eliza rolled her eyes, knowing it was not his heart that would be affected.

30 minutes later, they were getting ready to eat. Eliza had discovered the blonde woman in the yard was June Hansen, Sig's wife. Their daughters, Nina and Mandy were at a friend's house, having no interest in the get together. The two kids were Edgar's youngest two, his oldest being with his ex-wife Louise. They had a great meal, Eliza getting sat between Josh and Jake A, with Alice choosing to sit between Josh and Laci. After dinner, Alice began yawning and Eliza saw that as her cue to get going.

"We should probably head out now, Alice needs to get to bed." Eliza said, getting up from the table. "It was really great meeting everyone."

"I'll drive you home and pick up my car." Josh said also standing with her. This got a raised eyebrow from a few of the guys that didn't know they had been together all day. "Later guys."

They all got loaded into the car, and before she knew Eliza had fallen asleep. The next thing she knew, she was being gently shaken awake. She opened her eyes to find a pair of chocolate brown ones right in front of her. "Hey, did I fall asleep?" she asked groggily, stretching to wake herself up. It put her closer to Josh, and before she knew it, he was kissing her. His lips were surprisingly soft, and he swept his tongue across her bottom lip. She moaned softly in response and opened her mouth up to his probing tongue. They kissed for a while, until Eliza remembered Alice was still in the car. She broke away from the kiss and glanced into the backseat, frowning with she saw the empty booster seat.

"She was asleep, so I put her in her bed. I took off her shoes and covered her up. She's fine." Josh answered my question before I even had a chance to ask it. His voice was huskier than normal, and Eliza was happy that she had that effect on him. "I'll let you go in and get to bed."

Eliza smirked up at him from her spot in the passenger seat, "What if I want to keep kissing you?" she asked in a sultry voice she didn't even recognize.

Josh chuckled and pulled her up from the seat, helping her get out of the car. Once she was out, he closed the door and turned back to her. She was leaning against the side of the SUV, biting her lip. He pushed his body against her, grasping her hair in one hand and using it to angle her face upwards. "That can be arranged." He whispered before placing his lips on hers again. Things quickly heated up again, and Eliza felt his hands sliding up the back of her t-shirt. She pulled away from his lips, resting her forehead on his shoulder, trying to catch her breath.

"I'm going to go inside before I do something we both regret." She whispered, once she could speak again.

"Ok, call me tomorrow sometime." He said, taking a step back. He walked her to the door and with another small peck on the lips, she went inside. She slid down the closed door, placing her hands in her hands. _Holy shit, _she thought to herself. _That was intense._

__**And there it is, Josh makes his move. Let me know how I did! **


	4. Pool Fun

**Here's another chapter! Thanks so much for all the positive reviews.**

Eliza woke up early the next morning, a smile on her face. The night before had been amazing. It had taken lots of self control not to let it go past kissing, but she had managed. She hadn't had sex in almost five years, and when he kissed her all of her reasons for taking it slow had gone right out the window. The only thing that stopped her was the thought of Alice sleeping just inside. She didn't want her to wake up to that, so she had found a way to pull away from that amazing kiss and go inside. She groaned at the sound of her phone beeping, who could possibly need to talk to her at half past seven in the morning? She grabbed her phone off the bedside table, opening up the text message. _I had a lot of fun last night. Can we plan a repeat?" _Eliza smiled wider as she read Josh's text and couldn't help but let out a girly squeal. She quickly texted him back, _Let me talk to Laci. Maybe she'll watch Alice and we can do dinner._ Then she dialed Laci's number, knowing she was up already.

"What's wrong?" Laci's worried voice filled Eliza's quiet bedroom.

"Nothing. Why would something be wrong?" Eliza replied cheerfully. "Everything is just perfect."

"Okay, what happened with Josh? He kissed you didn't he?"

"If by kissed you mean we totally made out beside my car and I had to physically prevent myself from jumping his bones, then yes." Eliza sighed and leaned back against her pillows.

"Seriously? What did I tell you? I KNEW you two would be making out sooner rather than later." Laci's tone was smug. "Oh, by the way, just thought you should know that Josh isn't the only one that wants a piece of Liza."

"Excuse me what?" Eliza sat up straighter in bed, crossing her legs and settling in for an interesting conversation.

"Oh yea, John was asking Mike all kinds of questions about you. He's definitely interested. And Jake A thinks you're hot!"

"Um, Jake A was the one with the really blue eyes that is on the Northwestern, right?" Eliza said, trying to place faces and names from the night before. "As for John, I did the bad boy thing with James, and we know how that turned out."

"Yea, Jake A's on the Northwestern, they call him Junior. And John is nothing like James. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a total player, but he would never marry someone and then cheat on them. But he would be fun. I'd love to get my hands on some of that. Just don't tell Mike I said that."

"Regardless, I'm really interested in Josh. I went from no men in my life at all, to apparently 3 interested parties. I really like Josh, and he loves Alice. But John is just so damn sexy. I don't know enough about Jake to form an opinion yet." Eliza rambled on. "Jesus Christ, what do I do?"

"If it were me in your situation, I'd say go for Josh. Like you said, he loves Alice which is a big plus. I think that John would be fun, but I'm not sure you want to deal with his lifestyle. He'd be a great friend though! But, Josh is definitely the best choice if you're looking for a long term relationship."

"Thanks Laci, I really appreciate the girl talk. Now for the reason I called. Josh asked me out on a date. Can you watch Alice tonight so we can go out for dinner?" Eliza asked, suddenly nervous that her friend would say no.

"Of course I can! Mike is going out with the Time Bandit boys tonight anyways, so I can just come over there and stay with her. Feel free to stay at Josh's if the mood strikes you." Laci giggled. "Actually, I kind of hope you do. I know it's been a long time!"

"Laci Fourtner! Shame on you!" Eliza exclaimed in mock horror. "What kind of girl do you think I am?"  
"One that is going to have a hot ass fisherman to herself tonight. Take advantage girl. I gotta go, but I'll be by your house around 5 so you can get ready."

"Bye, love you. Thanks again!" Eliza hung up and opened her text messages back up. She had 2, one from Josh and another from an unknown number. She opened the unknown number first. _Hey, this is Edgar. I got your number from Mike, hope you don't mind. The kids really enjoyed playing with Alice. If you want to come over, we have a pool. Bring Loverboy if you want._ It would be good for Alice to have some friends to play with. She decided to call Josh, instead of texting him. She had a lot to tell him.

"Hey babe. Good morning." His voice came across the line.

"Hey." Eliza responded quietly, suddenly very shy. "I talked to Laci, she's gonna come stay at my place and watch Alice. She'll be here at five."

"Great, then I can take you out to get some dinner. What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Well, I also wanted to ask you about something else. Edgar's kids want to play with Alice and he invited us to come over to use their pool and let the kids play. He said you could come along too." Eliza bit her lip, hoping he'd want to come with them.

"Um, yea. I can come with you. I can pick you and Alice up in about 2 and a half hours if you're ok with that. I still have to go to the gym and take care of a few things. Let Edgar know we'll be there around 11."

"Sounds great. I'll see you then." Eliza said, giddy that she was hanging out with him yet again.

"Bye babe." Josh said, hanging up.

Eliza sat there holding her phone for a minute before sending Edgar a text letting him know when they would be there. She added his number into her phone and decided to get out of bed. After making her and Alice some pancakes, she woke her daughter. They ate breakfast, the whole time Alice talking about Edgar's kids, which she had now learned were named Logan and . She had Alice dress in her swimsuit and then put some clothes on over it. Eliza did the same, suddenly nervous that Josh would be seeing her in her bikini. She was pulling her hair into a long braid, when she heard the doorbell ring. She rushed out to the foyer and swung open the door. There stood Josh, in his swim trunks and a Cornelia Marie t-shirt.

He greeted her with a quick kiss and asked, "You all ready?" Eliza turned around to make sure she had her keys and to call Alice out of her room when she heard from behind her, "Looks like you've got a pretty big back piece going on there."

In her racerback tank top, Eliza realized her full back tattoo could be seen. "Oh yea, it's pretty big. I'll show you when we get there. I've got a big one up my left ribcage too."

She called for Alice, and turned back to face Josh. He gently lifted up the bottom of her tank top and brushed a finger across Eliza's right hip. "What's this one of? I noticed something yesterday morning when you were pulling your shirt down."

The feel of his calloused fingers against her bare flesh sent shivers up her spine. She pulled the waistband of her shorts down a bit to fully reveal it. "It's a Celtic cross. My dad had the same one. I got it a few months after he passed away, brought in a picture of my dad and the replicated it."

"I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I lost mine just two years ago." He said softly, tracing the tattoo with his fingers lightly. They were interrupted by Alice walking into the room and the pair stepped away from each other guiltily.

"Ready to go kiddo?" Eliza asked her daughter, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Yep." Alice nodded her head vigorously. "Hi Josh!" she exclaimed, realizing who was there. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his legs. "You didn't say bye last night."

"I did, but you were sleeping." Josh told her with a wink. "Let's go, the faster we get there, the faster you can play."

They arrived at Edgar's a few short minutes later, and Alice was greeted by both of Edgar's children. The three of them ran off to play in the backyard and Eliza followed Josh to the pool area. She tested the water with her toe, only to be pushed into the pool. She came up for air, sputtering a bit, and angry. Edgar was at the edge of the pool, a huge smirk on his face, obviously proud of his accomplishment.

"That was so wrong!" Eliza complained, pulling herself out of the water and quickly removing her wet clothes. She had a green bikini on underneath it that left little to the imagination.

"Damn girl, you've got some ink." Edgar said with a low whistle. "And you're super hot of course."

Josh shot a glare in Edgar's direction, before stepping closer to Eliza to examine her tattoos. He'd already seen the cross, but he could now see the pirate ship that went all the way up her left ribcage in full color. He also could now see that her back was covered in a Alice in Wonderland back piece. It was full of bright colors and was very well done.

"These are amazing." Josh said, in complete awe. "Did you name Alice after the story?"

"Actually, not really. Alice was my grandmother's name and I named her after her. However, I have always liked Alice in Wonderland and I decided to do this when I was think of a tattoo to commemorate Alice's birth. It just kind of took off from there."

Eliza was getting a little uncomfortable by all of the attention from the two men, and decided to jump back in the pool. In a few seconds, she was joined by Josh, Edgar saying he was going to check on the kids.

"I already thought you were hot, but your tattoos make you even sexier." Josh swam over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He pulled her close to him and softly kissed her. Without further thought, the two of them were making out in Edgar's pool, with complete disregard to what was going on around them. Eliza had just wrapped her legs around Josh's waist, when she heard Edgar.

"Good lord, you two. There are children outside ya know." Edgar's nose was scrunched up, his hands on his hips in mock distain. Josh flipped him off, lazily swimming over to the side of the pool, leaving Eliza in the center of the pool by herself. "Don't make me kick you out of this pool." He pretended to threaten, walking away again.

Shortly after, they were joined by the three children and Edgar and they played in the pool for a few hours. Josh, Eliza, and Alice left Edgar's about 3 o clock and headed back to her place. Josh left without coming inside, saying he was going to go home and take a shower and that he'd be back around 5:30. He did however, wait until Alice went inside, stealing a quick kiss from Eliza.

**The next chapter is the date. I'm hoping to have it up tomorrow. We'll see how my kiddos behave. **


	5. The Date

**Ok, so it's technically Monday and I can't sleep. So here you go, another update. SMUT warning. This is your only warning. And on that note, onward with the date.**

Laci had arrived at Eliza's place 15 minutes earlier, immediately telling her to go change. Now Eliza stood in front of her closet, trying to pick out an outfit. Josh would be there shortly and she was close to panicking. _Who am I kidding? _she thought to herself. _I haven't been on a date in ages. I can't do this._ Laci walked into her room at that moment, seeing Eliza frowning at her closet in her bra and panties, her jeans and t-shirt she previously wore scattered haphazardly at her feet.

"Are you seriously not dressed yet?" Laci exclaimed, taking in the scene in front of her. "And you've got to have sexier underwear than that."

"Who am I kidding Lac? I can NOT do this!" Eliza sat down on her bed, putting her head in her hands. "I have no idea what to wear."

Laci began sorting through Eliza's closet with a purpose. "I know I saw a really cute blue dress when I was unpacking your stuff. And you have that lacy black matching underwear set in the third drawer down. Put that on and I'll find your dress." Eliza complied, grabbing the underwear set and retreating to the bathroom. "Do your makeup while you are in there!" Laci called after her.

Once she found the dress in question, a midnight blue number with a layer of silky lace over it, Laci brought it into the bathroom. Eliza was putting the final touches on a smokey eye, and had applied some lip gloss. She was gratefully taking the dress from her best friend when the doorbell rang.

"I got it. I'll stall, just keep it under 15 minutes okay?" Laci smiled and exited the bedroom.

Not even 5 minutes later, Eliza nervously stepped out of her bedroom and headed down the hallway. She entered the living room and was met with a very shocked looking Josh. The dress hugged her curves beautifully, the lace coming out a little farther than the opaque fabric, and hints of pale skin emerged through the holes in the lace. The matching blue peep toed stilettos made her long legs look even longer. She had opted to let her natural curls show tonight and her coppery orange hair reflected shades of golden blondes and deep reds as the curls hit the lights.

"Um, wow. You look great." Josh stumbled over his words.

Alice poked her head over the back of the couch. "You look really pretty Mommy. Since you and Josh were kissing in the pool earlier, does that mean you're getting married?"

"Not exactly sweetie. We are just going on a date." Eliza replied, her cheeks flushing.

"Well, I would like it if you did. Then Josh could be my daddy. Right?" Alice had a very serious look on her face, and Eliza felt her face get even warmer.

"Alrighty then Alice. Let's go play in your room. You two have fun." Laci quickly ushered the six year old towards the hallway.

Eliza tried to calm her blushing and walked over to Josh. "You're really cute when you blush." He whispered in her ear and taking her arm, guided her out to his car. They rode to the restaurant in a comfortable silence, halfway through the trip they found their fingers laced together in between their seats. _I could really see myself falling for him._ Eliza thought to herself.

They arrived at a place called Serafina, and they were quickly seated in a dimly lit corner towards the back of the restaurant. "Is this okay?" Josh asked once they were seated. "I'm trying to keep my chances of being recognized to a minimum."

"It's great." Eliza replied. _Oh what the hell, loosen up girl._ "Although, I originally thought you brought me back here so we could make out."

"We have plenty of time for that later. Laci told me I was not allowed to bring you home tonight." Josh grinned at Eliza's shocked expression. "She said some other things that I will not repeat in public."

Eliza felt herself blushing and willed her cheeks to stop betraying her. "You're so easy to make blush." Josh continued, lowering his voice to a sexy gravel. "I wonder if you blush during other … activities."

Eliza ducked her head and Josh let out a laugh. "I don't know what you're referring to." She mumbled from under her curtain of hair.

"Sure you don't." Josh responded, straightening up as the waiter came over. He ordered a bottle of wine and by the time he was done, Eliza had recovered enough to lift her head back up.

"So, tell me about yourself. Did you always live in Phoenix?" Josh asked, leaning back in his chair.

"No, actually, I was born in Dublin, but my parents moved to Boston when I was 2. My mom is American and her grandmother, the one Alice is named after, had a heart attack. She recovered but needed a lot of help around the house. So we lived in Boston until she passed away when I was 11, and then my dad got relocated to Phoenix. I met Laci when 6th grade started and we've been best friends ever since."

"So, are you an American citizen or an Irish one?" Josh asked.

"American. My ex-husband insisted upon it, so I did. Before then it wasn't really important to me." Eliza frowned. "Sorry, I know it's bad to bring up exes on the first date."

"Nah, it's cool. Although he's got to be stupid to let a woman like you get away." Josh answered with a quick smile. "Good for me though."

The rest of dinner passed by in comfortable conversation. When it came time to leave, Josh's words floated back into Eliza's head. _Laci told me I was not allowed to bring you home tonight._ Her heart rate increased and once they got in the car, she looked over at Josh. He looked so sexy tonight in his button down black shirt, rolled up to his elbows, and his dark wash jeans. He was looking at her questioningly, his deep brown eyes catching her silvery grey ones.

"I can totally take you home, you know." He said softly. "I don't want you to feel pressured."

"No, let's go back to your place." Eliza reassured him "Just promise we can stop if I need to."

"Of course." He replied, putting the car in gear and heading towards his house. Eliza let out a deep breath, and watched the scenery go by. She felt Josh's hand brush against hers and she laced her fingers with his. His thumb slowly rubbed against the back of her hand and she felt herself relaxing. _No big deal, you're going to his house. So what?_ She had to learn to loosen up sometime, her ex-husband always said she was entirely too serious about everything. Maybe if she'd been a little more fun, he wouldn't have found someone who was. Eliza shook her head softly, _Not the time to think about him sweetheart._ She scolded herself.

They pulled up to a nice house, Josh turning off the engine. They just sat there for a moment, neither one making a move to get out of the car or let go of each other's hand. Finally Josh slid his hand from Eliza's and got out of the car, coming to her side and letting her out. When she was out of the car, he turned to her with a smirk. "I think we left things off around here last night. Shall we continue?" He said in that same low, gravelly voice he'd used earlier. The voice that instantly sent tingles straight to her nether region.

She wordlessly followed him into the house, pausing for him to unlock the front door and turn on the lights. They walked straight ahead, entering a living room. It was definitely a bachelor pad, but nicely done. A chocolate brown, suede section sat directly in front of her and a very large flat screen TV hung on the wall. There was a home bar area set up on the side without the couch. Josh flipped on the stereo system and Eliza heard Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" drift through the speakers. _Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night, And wouldn't you love to love her?, Takes through the sky like a bird in flight, And who will be her lover?_

By the end of the first verse, Eliza and Josh were on the couch, gently kissing. He licked her lips, silently requesting access, which she immediately granted. As their tongues danced, Eliza let out a low moan, repositioning herself to straddle Josh, never once breaking the kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair and down the back of his neck, before slowly sliding her hands down his chest. Now it was him that let out a groan and the hand entangled in her curls tightened its hold. He slowly grazed the back of her dress with his other hand, before slowly unzipping the back. The sound was loud against the backdrop of soft music, and Eliza stiffened slightly.

"If you need to stop, tell me. I will be okay with it." He said, lifting his lips from hers slightly. They were still so close that she could feel his lips barely grazing hers as he spoke. It sent tingles down her spine and she shivered slightly.

"No, keep going. I'm okay right now." She whispered back, capturing his lips with hers again. He resumed unzipping her dress, then she scooted backwards off of him, before standing and letting her dress drop to the floor.

Josh drew in a sharp breath at the sight before him and growled lowly, sending another shiver down Eliza's spine. "Holy shit, Liza. Are you trying to kill me?"

And then he was pulling her down on top of him again, his mouth forceful in its assault this time. He ran his hands up her back and unclasped her bra in one swift motion. She let the bra fall down off of her arms, to reveal her full, supple breasts. "Oh god, and your nipples are pierced?" He asked, before cupping her right breasts and slowly running his tongue over her nipple. He grasped her nipple ring in his mouth and gently tugged with his teeth. Eliza gasped at the slight pulling sensation that was traveling all the way down between her legs. Nobody had done that before, but damn if she didn't love the way it felt. He put his hand under her thighs and moved her over onto the other section of the couch, slowly inching her lacy panties down. Before pulling off her underwear completely, he looked up at her. "Tell me now if we need to stop. If we continue, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop."

"Don't stop." Eliza whispered breathlessly, eager to see what he had in store for her next. She couldn't ever remember being this turned out. The words were barely out of her mouth when he had pulled the panties completely off and spread her legs open. He ducked his head between her legs, licking her slit in one swift motion. Eliza drew in a shaky breath and let out a loud moan. Neither one could handle the teasing any longer; she pulled herself up and unbuckled his pants. He got the hint and quickly removed his shirt and pants, grabbing a condom before tossing them aside. He pushed her back down and placed his body on top of hers, teasingly rubbing himself against her. Unable to take any more, Eliza let out a frustrated noise and hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him to her. He pushed inside of her, pausing after just a moment. "You're so tight." He whispered, laying his head on her chest. After another moment, he pushed all the way in her and both let out contented sighs. He paused again for a moment, letting them both adjust to the tight fit. She wiggled her hips at him, and he began moving again, slowly pumping in and out. They soon became frantic, and he began moving in and out with abandon. She started to orgasm, feeling a warm, tingling feeling spreading throughout her body, threatening to consume her. He felt her start to pulse and silenced her whimpers with a searing kiss. As she came, her canal pulsed around him and he couldn't hold back any longer. With one last push, he buried himself in her as he let himself go.

Eliza came to a few minutes later, finally able to clear her head of the blissfully fog. Josh was still on top of her, his breathing also starting to come back to normal. They lay there for another minute, before Josh propped himself up on his elbow, grinning down at her. "Was that as good for you?" He asked. Eliza just nodded, still not trusting her voice. "Well, once I'm confident I can stand again, I'll take you to my room. We can work on Round 2 once we get there. Oh and you totally blush when you orgasm."

**Well, there you have it. My first scene of that nature ever. If it totally sucks, I'm sorry. As always, let me know what you think. **


	6. Be Mine

**Here's another one. No real smut in this one, just a little "Heavy petting". Enjoy! **

Eliza awoke the next morning, feeling oddly comforted by the feeling of Josh's arm draped over her waist. She turned over to face him, gently tracing the kanji tattooed on his shoulder. She glanced up at his face to his eyes that were now open. He was watching her, a lazy grin on his face. She gave him a shy smile and he chuckled in return.

"Morning babe." He said, dipping his head down for a kiss. They lingered there for a moment, leisurely exploring each other's mouth, when Eliza heard her phone. _'cause I gonna make you see, There's nobody else here, No one like me, I'm special so…_ "Yes Laci?" Eliza answered without looking at the caller ID. Laci was the only one who had that ring tone.

"Umm, I'm sorry to bother you but it's almost 11 and Alice was asking where you are. I have a good idea why you're sleeping late." Laci giggled over the phone. "How was it?"

"It's almost 11?" Eliza sat up in bed, the sheets falling down around her waist. She felt arms slide around her waist, hands cupping her breasts. "I'll, uh, I'll be there in a little bit." Her voice began to trail off as Josh pinched her nipple in between his fingers.

"Oh my god, tell him to chill while I'm on the phone!" Laci exclaimed. "I'll see you in about an hour!" she giggled again, hanging up the phone.

Once she was gone, Eliza slapped Josh on the chest. "Don't do that!"

"Well, it bought you another hour." Josh said, kissing the side of her neck. "Let's take a shower."

45 minutes and two rounds later, Eliza and Josh emerged from the bathroom. Eliza sighed, realizing the only thing she had to wear was her dress. This is why she was a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. She was contemplating her dilemma when a half dressed Josh pulled her to his bare chest. "I have a bag with some of your clothes in the car. I'll go get it."

"Why do you have that?" she asked, suspicion in her voice.

"I told you, Laci was not letting you come home last night. She gave me a bag and said it was clothes for in the morning." He kissed the side of her neck again, this time lightly nipping at it. "Your friend was very determined to get you laid."

30 minutes later than planned, Josh pulled up to Eliza's apartment. She quickly got out and the two of them went inside, instantly greeted by Alice. She hugged Eliza tightly. "I missed you Mommy."

"I know baby, I missed you too." She replied. Laci wandered down the hall, giving Eliza a knowing smirk.

Alice quickly hopped down from her mother's embrace and launched herself at Josh. He lifted her up into his arms, hugging the little girl. "Are you gonna live here now?" She asked him, tilting her head slightly. "You're here all the time."

"Nope, not going to live here. But I'll come visit you and your mom as much as I can." Josh answered, kissing the little girl on the cheek.

Laci quickly said her goodbyes, saying she had to get home to Mike before he got too grumpy. "They leave for salmon tendering in 4 days and he's a bit selfish of my time."

Once she had gone, Eliza and Josh took a seat on the couch. Alice went to her room to color a picture for Josh and the two were alone again.

"Um, so speaking of tendering, I'll be going with the Time Bandit boys this year to help out. So I'm leaving in four days also." He frowned before continuing, "I won't be back until August. I hope that doesn't affect whatever it is we have going on here."

"It's okay, I kind of assumed this would be the case. Laci's told me about Mike's schedule and I figured it'd be the same with you." She smiled and took his hand. "What exactly are we calling this thing between us?"

"Well, I'd like to call you my girlfriend, if that's okay with you. Be exclusive and all that shit." Josh replied, pulling her close and putting an arm around her.

"I'd like that." She snuggled closer to him and rested her head back on his arm draped across her shoulder. "I start work tomorrow and Alice is going to a summer camp. But I can spend evenings with you if you don't mind coming over here. Alice really enjoys your company."

"Sounds good. You working all four days before I leave?" Josh asked, picking up her remote and flipping through the channels.

"I'm off on Friday." She responded, laying a hand on top of his to stop his channel flipping. "Is that you?" She had seen him briefly on the screen and realized this must be the show he was on.

"Good you can see me off at the airport." He responded, then continued flipping channels. "We are so not watching that. It's weird seeing myself on TV."

"That's fine, I'll watch them all while you're gone. It'll make me miss you less." He pulled her in for a half hug and stopped on some show about classic cars. "This is better."

Eliza just rolled her eyes and snuggled in with him. She didn't care what they watched, as long as he kept his arm around her. They watched the show for a while, neither one of them brave enough to make out and risk getting caught by Alice. Eliza found herself enjoying this. Her and James never just sat and watched TV together, and definitely NEVER cuddled on the couch. It was nice to just relax in Josh's arms, she felt more content than she had in years. 30 minutes later, Alice came into the living room, asking to watch Nickelodeon. Josh changed the channel for her and Alice squealed realizing iCarly was on. Eliza mouthed _Sorry_ to Josh, who just winked at her and settled back into the couch. Alice curled up on the other side of Eliza and the three of them watched TV for a few hours.

Around 4 o clock, Josh's phone started to vibrate and he excused himself. He came back a few minutes later, saying it was John and he had to go do some things to get ready for tendering. With a chaste kiss, he left and Eliza felt her heart grow heavier. She missed him already. She excused herself from the couch, where Alice was now engrossed in another show.

Getting to her bedroom, Eliza closed her door and dialed Laci's number.

"About time you called me." Laci greeted her. "I want details damn it."

"Sorry, he just left. We were watching TV." Eliza lounged back onto her bed, curling her legs up underneath her. "He asked me to be his girlfriend today."

Laci's squeal was so loud, Eliza lifted the phone from her ear for a moment. "That's amazing! So, was the sex good?"

Eliza laughed, not at all shocked at her friend's bluntness. "It was amazing all four times." She smiled, remembering waking up with him. "And he cuddles very well."

Laci squealed again, Eliza could imagine her jumping around the room in excitement. "Four? Hot damn girl! Making up for lost time huh?"

"And you, Laci Fourtner! I can't believe you packed me an overnight bag and told him not to let me come home last night!" Eliza exclaimed into the phone. "What else did you tell him?"

"None of your business girly!" Laci replied in a no nonsense tone. "You needed a little push, so I made it happen."

The two of them talked a little more, Laci inviting them to a party for the guys on Thursday evening, before they left for two months. Eliza got her and Alice fed and ready for the next day. She fell asleep that night thinking about Josh, wishing he was there to hold her.

**This one was a little short and very fluffy. I'm skipping ahead to the Thursday night party in the next one. I'm going to try and get it out today while the kids are napping, but it may be tomorrow before I can post again. **


	7. Miscommunications

**Kids are napping, and I typed up another chapter! I know I said this one would be the party, but Eliza had other plans, and I found myself going in a completely different direction than planned. Lots of twists in this chapter, enjoy!**

It was now Wednesday afternoon and Eliza had just gotten a call from her brother that he'd be arriving in Seattle at about 7 pm that night. Eliza was excited, she would finally have her car back and could take back the rental. But it would mean cancelling her plans with Josh tonight. Unfortunately, that was how things had to be. She would see him at the party tomorrow and would definitely be insisting he spend the night. She quickly texted him, not sure if he was busy with last minute things before he had to go. _Hey hot stuff. I hate to do this, but I gotta cancel our plans for hanging out tonight. But you're staying at my house tomorrow after the party._ She set about making dinner for her brother, he had requested some traditional Irish fare, which always took look to prepare. She was making him colcannon and Dublin Lawyer*, a combination Grandma Alice used to make every Sunday for after Mass. Her phone dinged and she paused to check it. _That's fine babe, I'll just hang out with Jake tonight. I'll see you tomorrow._ She smiled to herself and continued cooking. She was putting the finishing touch on dinner when the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" she heard Alice asking through the door. She didn't hear the reply, but suddenly Alice was shouting to her. "Mommy, it's Uncle Colin. Can I let him in?"

"Yea, go ahead." Eliza responded from the kitchen and a few minutes later she was being hugged from behind. "Hey Col. I've missed you!" She greeted her brother.

"Smells great sis." He said, kissing her on the cheek. "Your car is in the driveway, I'll take the rental back with me and drop it off."

They enjoyed a nice meal together. After the dishes were done, Colin said he needed to head out and get back on the road. Eliza walked him out and they stood on her front porch talking. "You better come back for a proper visit soon." She said, nudging him playfully with her shoulder. "Your niece misses you."

He hugged her to him briefly and kissed her forehead. "I know baby girl. I'll visit you in a few weeks. I gotta check on Mom at the nursing home on my next break, make sure she's doing okay. Then I'll come see you." They stood there for a minute, his arm around her shoulder in a half hug. "I'll call you and fill you in on how she's doing." He kissed her cheek softly and she pretended to pout as he walked down the driveway.

"You better call, I'll kick your ass!" She called after him, before retreating inside.

Josh sat in his car across the street, not believing his eyes. He took off quickly, determined to go home and drink the memory of her away. _No wonder she was divorced._ He thought, running his hands over his face. And to think, he was coming there tonight to spill his soul to her, tell her he was falling in love with her. Well, it obviously wasn't mutual. She had some other guy at her house, tall, blonde, good looking. His anger increased when he thought about how he kissed her forehead and cheek. The same way he had the night before. How could he have been so stupid? He turned his phone off, not wanting to speak to anyone in his misery and went home to drink until he passed out.

It was Thursday around 4, and Eliza called Josh for the 5th time since getting out of work. His phone was still off. She frowned and tossed her phone onto the couch, before sighing and sitting down. Alice was at Edgar's house, his mother having offered to keep the kids so that they could have one last night without the children before leaving. She had come back to the house to change out of her scrubs and take a quick shower. Josh should have been here 30 minutes ago. She called Laci, begging her to pick up.

"Hey, where you at chica?" she answered, the background noise loud, signaling the party had already begun. "You were supposed to be here already."

"um, yea, I haven't heard from Josh and his phone is off. We were going to ride in together." Eliza sighed, leaning back onto the couch.

"That's not like him. Jake said he hasn't heard from him all day either. Maybe he got really trashed last night and is sleeping it off." Laci paused for a moment, talking to someone in the background. "Hey, John's on his way here and will be passing your place. Want him to pick you up so you can just leave with Josh when he gets here?"

"Sounds great. I'll see ya in a little bit." Eliza answered, still a little worried about Josh. She hung up the phone and sat on the couch, a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She got up and double checked her appearance in the full length mirror in her room. She was wearing a black tank top, with lace up the sides, allowing her pirate ship tattoo to peek through. She had on jean cut off shorts and decided to simply wear flip flops tonight, it was a casual event. Her doorbell rang and she ran to get it, swinging it open to reveal John Hillstrand standing there.

"Well, don't you just look ravishing tonight?" He smirked at her, folding his arms over his chest. "You'll want to change shoes, I brought the Harley."

Eliza raised her eyebrows at him, before turning around and heading towards her bedroom. She could hear John following her down the hallway, obviously not content with waiting at the door. She quickly grabbed her black ankle boots, her only pair of shoes that were appropriate for a bike without a heel. She sat down on her bed and slipped them on, John standing in her doorway, watching her.

"What's the tattoo on your side?" he asked, catching a glimpse of it through the lace.

"Oh, it's a pirate ship." She answered, lifting the side of her tank top up to reveal it. John took a step towards her and she let the shirt fall back down. "Keep your hands to yourself, Hillstrand. I'm with Josh."

"Oh yea, well where is he?" John asked, flashing her a roguish smile. Eliza just frowned at him until he threw up his hands and said "Fine, hands off. Scout's honor."

Eliza walked towards him, now ready to go. "Oh yea, like you were EVER a boy scout." She scoffed, trying to get past him and out the door. He didn't move and she had to brush her body against him to slip out the door and into the hall. "Keep your body to yourself too." She muttered, heading to the front door.

"It's going to be hard to ride a motorcycle then sweetheart." She heard his voice behind her, starting to sound a little smug.

They exited the house and stopped beside the Harley. "You ever ridden on one of these?" He asked, unsure if she was going to know what to do.

"My ex-husband has a Fat Boy." She replied, a little bite to her tone. He handed her a helmet, strapping his own on.

"Point taken sweetheart." Came John's reply. He got on the motorcycle and waited for her to get on behind him. When she was on, he pulled her closer, the front of her body now flush with his back. "Hold on tight, I drive fast."

She shivered, hating herself for the reaction her body was having to this man. She was with Josh, she had to chill out. They took off towards Laci and Mike's and Eliza tightened her grip around his waist. She found herself enjoying the ride, he was a much more relaxed rider than James had been. She rested her head against his back, trying not to dig her helmet into his back too much. They arrived shortly after, and she hopped off as soon as they came to a stop. She silently handed him his helmet back and went to ring the doorbell. John passed by her, not waiting for someone to answer the door and headed to the back porch. "I'm here, the party can now start!" He yelled in a gruff voice.

Eliza walked out behind him, smoothing her hair down still from the motorcycle ride. She spotted Edgar sitting with his brothers at the same table they'd been at last time. She waved and walked over to join them. Edgar hugged her in greeting. "So I see you rode in with John." He said, tugging gently on her tangled hair.

"Yea, nobody warned me he'd been picking me up on a Harley." Eliza replied with an eye roll.

Everyone laughed and they started talking, Eliza laughing at the stories they were telling about crabbing. They were all laughing and having a good time, when suddenly Josh was standing behind her chair, a scowl on his face.

"Hey babe," Eliza greeted, leaning her head back in her chair and smiling up at him. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Josh asked, his eyes flashing with anger. "You have the nerve to ask me what's wrong? I saw you with him last night. I was coming by to spend some time with you and I saw him kiss you. Was this all just a joke to you?" his voice got louder, and the backyard was suddenly quiet, all eyes on the pair.

Eliza stood up, facing Josh with a glare. "What are you talking about? You're the only guy I've been with in FIVE years!" She said angrily, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh yea, I'm sure. You two looked awfully cozy." At Eliza's confused look, he elaborated. "Tall, blonde guy that was at your house about 8:30 last night? Or do you have so many guys coming through that you can't remember who I'm talking about?"

"You mean my BROTHER? He was dropping off my car. He drove it up here to me from Phoenix!" Eliza answered, tears in her eyes. Josh's face softened, realizing he'd made a mistake. "But since you think I'm apparently such a whore, you can just forget about us." She ran back into Laci's house, headed towards the front door before realizing she didn't have her keys. She was full on crying now, and didn't want to go back out there. She turned around at the sound of the sliding door opening. Edgar stood there, a sympathetic look on his face.

"Let me take you home." He said, walking towards her, his keys out. "Alice can stay at my place with my mom."

She nodded, wiping at her eyes, trying to dry the tears that were escaping. "Thanks." She said, turning back towards the door. Edgar came beside her and placing his arm around her shoulder, guided her out the front door. They got into his Jeep and the ride back to her place was silent, other than her telling him where to turn. He pulled into her driveway and killed the engine. He looked over at her, a concerned look on his face.

"Do you mind coming in for a little bit?" she asked softly. "I don't want to be alone."

**So, do they hook up or just talk? You'll have to wait and see :)**

** *Colcannon is a traditional irish dish made with mashed potatoes and kale and seasoned with scallions, butter, salt, and pepper. Dublin Lawyer is lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. It's really yummy! **


	8. Hangovers

**I'm quickly posting this before school tonight. Lots of talking and decision making going on for Eliza. **

Now that Edgar was in her house, she was at a loss on what to do. She was embarrassed, he'd seen her crying already and had obviously witnessed the fight. She excused herself to the kitchen and pulled down her bottle of Jameson. Good ol' Irish Whiskey. She was setting it on the counter when she heard Edgar behind her. She spun around to face him, picking the bottle back up. "Want some?" she offered, swinging the bottle in front of her.

"Nah, 10 months sober." He responded. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Shit, I'm so sorry Ed. I didn't realize." She put the bottle back down on the counter and leaned back against it, crossing her arms and biting her lip. "I'm so embarrassed. This day keeps getting shittier."

Edgar crossed the kitchen to her, enveloping her in a hug. "Hey, it's okay. You didn't hurt my feelings. And Josh is a fucking jerk for jumping to conclusions like that." She felt tears threatening as he hugged her and she pulled away, heading towards the living room, Jameson in her left hand. She grabbed a glass on her way out and took a seat at the couch.

"I don't want to talk about him. Is me drinking going to be a problem?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He shook his head no. "Good. I'm pretty sure I can't handle this sober."

Edgar sighed and sat down on the couch next to her. "I think you could, but I'm not here to preach to you. I'm here to listen." He watched her pour a drink, if he were judging, he'd call it a triple. She knocked it back in one swallow and poured herself a smaller portion, this time sitting back against the couch and grabbing the remote. She flipped through the channels, stopping on the Travel Channel when she recognized the Irish countryside.

"I'm guessing from the tattoo on your hip that you are Irish." Edgar commented seeing the channel she paused on. "Plus you've got the red hair."

"Yea, from my dad's side. I was born in Dublin. Left when I was two and didn't go back until I was 18, after my dad passed away. I spent 3 weeks in the town he grew up in, listening to stories about his life and figuring out how he grew to be the man I admired so much. Then right before I came home, I got the tattoo done. It's the same one my dad had – only his was a full back piece. I miss him."

"I bet. That's pretty young to lose your father." Edgar replied, guiding her to the side so that she was leaning against him. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "I'm sorry things went down the way they did tonight." He whispered.

"It's okay, should've known it was too good to be true. Nobody really wants the divorced chic with a kid." She sighed.

"You're telling me. I'm the divorced guy with THREE kids. Plus I'm old and ugly."

"You are not old and ugly. You're pretty hot if you ask me." Eliza replied, taking a sip of her drink.

"I think that liqour is going to your head already." Edgar gestured to her glass. "But it's sweet of you to say so."

Eliza polished off her glass and leaned back against Edgar's arm, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol on her empty stomach. They had left before dinner. She turned and smiled up at Ed. "So you think Josh is being stupid?" she asked.

"Very stupid. You're hot, down to earth, and you have a great sense of humor." Edgar grinned down at her. "Any guy would be lucky to be able to call you theirs."

With that proclamation and liquid courage flowing through her veins, she leaned up and kissed Edgar. She pulled his head down to meet hers better, gripping his hair in her right hand, her left sliding underneath the hem of his tshirt. Hot damn he was ripped. He opened his mouth to her, but pulled away as soon as their tongues met.

"You're drunk. I can taste the liqour on you." Edgar rested his forehead against hers lightly. "I should go and you should sleep on this. Think it over. If you truly want to end things with Josh, I'll be waiting. But if you decide to work it out with him, I'll pretend it never happened."

He pulled away from her and stood up, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Go to bed. You don't need to drink any more, it's not doing you any good." With that parting comment he was out the door, locking it behind him.

She awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. She had continued drinking after Edgar left, despite his warnings. She passed out around 3 o clock that morning, sprawled across the couch. She hesitantly looked over at the clock on the wall and groaned to herself. It was 11:30, and she was sure Edgar was ready for her to come pick up Alice. She found her phone underneath the coffee table, and noticed she had 3 missed calls. She began listening to her messages, one hand massaging her forehead while the other held her phone. _Hey Liza, it's Josh,_ the first message began, _I'm really sorry about last night. I would really like to talk to you before I leave. I'm heading over to the airport around 11, so call me when you get this. Again, I'm so sorry for jumping to conclusions._ Eliza sighed and deleted the message. He was already gone by now, and she really didn't want to talk to him anyways. She had definitely been falling for him, and the hurt she felt was too familiar for her comfort. While not nearly as devastating as her break up with James, she felt this might have been her warning.

She started the next message, hoping it was not another one from Josh. _Hey girl, it's Laci. Sorry I wasn't there last night when shit went down. I ran out to get some sour cream and I came back to chaos. John apparently wailed on Josh after you left, gave him a black eye and threatened not to let him on the Time Bandit for tendering. Mike told me Edgar drove you home. Hope everything's okay. Call me when you get this._ Eliza found herself smiling at the thought of John defending her honor. Maybe he wasn't just after her for the sex. Her smile immediately turned to a frown, she didn't need to add anyone else to her screwed up love life. She had to make a decision about Josh, and then there was Edgar. She needed to leave anyone else OUT of it.

While she was thinking, the next message started to play. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Edgar's voice. _Hey hun, it's Edgar. It's about 10:45 and since you're not answering the phone, I'm going to guess that you kept drinking after I left. Hopefully you don't have too bad of a hangover. Call me when you get up. I might take pity on you and let you relax by my pool while the kids play. If you ask me nicely, that is. _She giggled to herself, imagining all kinds of naughty ways she could ask him "nicely".

She called Laci back first, but didn't get an answer. She was probably still at the airport dropping Mike off. She then called Edgar. She was about to hang up after the fourth ring, when he answered breathlessly. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Liza." She said softly, anxiously remembering the night before and hoping things wouldn't be awkward between the two of them.

"How are you?" he asked, his voice taking on a concerned tone. "Feeling okay?"

"I'm okay. I did keep drinking last night and I have a killer headache this morning." She leaned back into the couch, closing her eyes. "Sorry about last night."  
"Sorry for drinking? Or sorry for kissing me?"

"The drinking. The kissing was great. I'm not sorry for that at all."She replied honestly.

"Good, I'm not sorry either. I just didn't want to be a drunken mistake for you." He answered softly. Eliza heard a door close and assummed he was going someplace he could talk alone. "You coming over?"

"Yea, I'm just gonna get dressed and brush my teeth. Should I bring my bathing suit?"

"I dunno, I did say you had to ask nicely." he teased.

"Pretty please, Ed, can I come play with you? I'll be a good girl." she asked him in a sultry voice.

Edgar groaned and Eliza had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "If you keep talking like that, you can have whatever you want."

"I'll see you in a few." She responded, a big grin on her face.

"Sounds good." They both hung up and Eliza forced herself to get up and make her way to her bathroom to change. She quickly changed into her bikini and slipped on a yellow summer dress over it. Quickly slipping on her flip flops, she grabbed her keys and sunglasses, heading for the door.

15 minutes later, she was pulling into Edgar's driveway. She could hear Alice laughing in the backyard and grabbing her bag, she walked around the side of the yard to the back gate. She let herself in, locking eyes with Edgar when she stepped through. They smiled at each other and she made her way over to him. He tapped her sunglasses lightly, smirking at her. "These helping?" he teased, in a VERY loud voice. Eliza had a suspicion it was on purpose.

"Not really" she shrugged. "And jeez you are loud."

"Not my fault. If you had listened to me, you'd feel fine right now." He kissed the side of her forehead and gently pushed her towards the pool area. "Go relax, I'll take pity on you this time."

Eliza settled in next to the pool, stripping off her sun dress and relaxing in the pool chair. She pulled her suntan lotion out and began applying it to herself. She didn't really tan, just burned really, but it was nice to soak up the sun every so often. She was just finishing applying lotion to her stomach when Edgar approached her. "Get my back please?" she asked. "Keeps the color from fading on my tattoo."

He nodded in response and walked over to her. He began rubbing the lotion into her skin, gently massaging as he went along. "The detail on this is really amazing. I really like the caterpillar." He said, tracing the image on her back. Shivers went up her spine and he chuckled at her response to his touch. "What's the deal with you and Josh?"

"I haven't talked to him. I'm pretty sure we are done though. I mean, what if this is my warning? Get out before he breaks my heart, that sort of thing." Eliza sighed. "I just don't want Alice to be upset either. She really likes him."

"You can't stay with someone just because your daughter likes him. That's not the way to form a lasting relationship. I know I'm biased, but what if you just tell him you don't want to be exclusive right now. Date around, make sure it's really what you want." Edgar replied, finished with her back, but choosing to leave his hands resting on her hips. "I know I'd love to date you and I'm pretty sure there are other interested parties. You should just date and see where things go. If you decide you want to still be with him, then great. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be your choice, but I want you to be with me because I'm the best choice for you. Not because you're mad at someone."

Eliza nodded and sighed, twisting herself around to face him. "Thanks. I appreciate this. I've got a lot of trust issues as it is, and I think maybe things got too serious, too fast."

"No problem. I'm guessing these issues stem from your ex-husband?" Edgar asked, sitting on the chair next to hers.

Eliza lay on her stomach on her chair, cupping her head in her hands. "Yea, he cheated on me when Alice was about a year old. Found out he was sleeping with a porn star when I saw him in a tabloid with her."

"Ouch." Edgar winced, shooting her a sympathetic smile. "If it's any consolation, he's mentally challenged to cheat on you."

"Thanks." Eliza smiled and put her head down on the chair. Edgar left a few minutes later, checking on the kids and making them some lunch. Eliza finally went home with Alice that afternoon, and after putting her daughter to bed, she sat up and contemplated what her next step was going to be. She really liked Edgar's idea of just dating around, but wondered if it would cause issues with the guys' friendships. And let's be honest, she didn't want to date John. She just wanted one night. But maybe Edgar was right. Maybe she just needed to let things happen as they will, and go with the flow. She would stop worrying and just go with it. She fell asleep shortly after, still exhausted from her drinking spree the night before.

**And there you have it. Eliza and Edgar seem to be getting to know each other quite nicely :) I'll post again tomorrow after I watch my DVR!**


	9. The Boys Are Back in Town

**Here's another chapter! I just want to say thank you to amethystsea, wildviolet76, They Say Its Crazy, and IrishCaptain for their reviews. You keep me motivated to continue this! Also, SMUT WARNING! Enjoy ;)**

***Note: I own nothing except Eliza, Alice, and Colin. But, I'd like to "borrow" Edgar please.***

Eliza had now been dating Edgar for almost two months. They guys were coming back from salmon tendering in the morning and she was nervous. She had spoken to Josh on the phone and let him know that she did want to give him another chance, but that this time, they would not be exclusive. She let him know right up front that she was going to be dating Edgar too. He seemed disappointed in this, but claimed he understood. But tomorrow he'd be back…with John. She was sure he already knew that she was going to be dating around, and she had a feeling he'd be seeking her out. Only this time, she wouldn't be able to use the Josh excuse. Butterflies started in her stomach as she thought about their last encounter. She wasn't completely opposed to having some fun with him, but she definitely had her guard up around him. She didn't want her feelings getting hurt.

She sighed to herself, laying back on her bed. Speaking of hurting feelings, how was Edgar going to handle all of this? Things had been going well between the two of them, other than Edgar putting the brakes on anytime she wanted to progress farther than heavily making out on her couch. He avoided her bedroom like the plague and whenever her hands went to his belt, he immediately halted their progress. _I said I wanted to take things slow, but I didn't mean the sex. I meant the relationship part._ She ran her hand through her hair, contemplating her next move. _Maybe seeing a little friendly competition is exactly what he needs. _She wasn't going to put up with it much longer, the gentleman business had to stop. It had been two months, she was about to jump his bones. She glanced over at the clock, 11:47. _I need to get some sleep_, she thought, settling in for the night. _Take it as it comes. Go with the flow. Stop worrying. _

Eliza awoke the next morning to giggling in her living room and a deep male voice that sounded oddly like John. She looked at her beside clock. 11:15. She frowned and quickly tossed on a Sons of Anarchy hoodie over her tshirt and pajama pants. She walked out to the living room and was greeted by John, Laci, Mike, and her brother, Colin. She raised an eyebrow at them, before silently sitting down at the last open spot, the couch next to John.

"Morning sleepyhead!" Laci proclaimed, waving at her friend. "We let you sleep in."

"Why is everyone here?" Eliza asked, still not all the way awake. She leaned her head against the back of the couch, only to have John wrap his arm around her and pull her close to him. Her head was now resting against his shoulder, and she felt her body warming at their closeness.

"Well, I came by to say hello and let you know we were back in town, and your brother was sitting on the porch. We both tried to call you a few times, but you didn't answer. So we called Laci and they came over here to let us in and check on you." John's chest vibrated slightly as he talked, and Eliza found herself loving his gruff voice even more at this close proximity.

"I checked on you, but you were pretty dead to the world. Edgar told us at the airport that you pulled an 18 hour shift yesterday. So I made Alice breakfast and we let you sleep." Laci chimed in. She was cuddled up with Mike on the loveseat, the two of them practically sitting on top of each other. Eliza knew the boys had just gotten in earlier that morning and that Laci probably hadn't had time to "properly" greet her husband.

"Thanks guys. You can head on home if you want to. I know you probably missed each other like crazy." She said to Laci.

"We're having a party tomorrow afternoon at Edgar's house. Bring a bathing suit!" Laci said as she and Mike stood to go.

"I'm going to take Alice to the zoo and to see Beauty and the Beast in 3-D." Colin announced. Alice squealed from her position on the floor and she got up, jumping around. "I'm staying for a few days if that's cool with you."

"Absolutely!" Eliza exclaimed sitting up straight. "How's mom?"

"She's alright. She didn't know who I was this time, kept asking the nurse to get the stranger out of her room. But she seems to be in good health otherwise." Eliza kept her mouth shut. In nursing school, she had done an extensive rotation in an Alzheimer's unit, and she knew that patients generally lived 4-8 years after onset of symptoms. Her mother's symptoms started 3 years ago. She just nodded to her brother instead, and gave him a smile.

A few minutes later, Alice and Colin had left. This left Eliza and John alone in her living room.

"You okay?" John asked her. She'd been pretty quiet since her conversation with Colin. "You wanna talk about your mom?"

Eliza shook her head and turned to face John. Locking eyes with him, she whispered. "I don't want to even think about it right now. Distract me." John hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if she really wanted this. "This is your one and only chance to get this out of your system, John. Take it or leave it. If you stay, I promise it will be the most wild, intense sex you've ever had."

And with that, his lips were on hers, a small growl escaping in reaction to her words. She knocked off his hat and grabbed his hair, pulling him closer to her. The kiss was intense, both of them battling for dominance. He quickly pulled off her hoodie and t-shirt and groaned aloud at the sight of her bared chest. She didn't give him long to think and she was also pulling his shirt over his head. They resumed kissing, his lips crashing down on hers. The next thing she knew, she was being lifted in the air. She wrapped her legs around him, and began kissing down his neck as he carried her. He managed to make his way into the bedroom, and gently tossed her onto the bed. She lay back, propping her elbows up on the bed. He grinned down at her, and she scooted back onto the bed, shedding her pajama pants as she went. He pulled his own pants down before joining her.

The two were now in their underwear, kissing and touching everywhere they could reach. Eliza reached into his boxers, gripping his cock in her hand. She was pleasantly surprised with his size and she began to slowly stroke him. John took this as his cue and also slipped his hand inside her panties, dipping a finger into her before rubbing her clit. "You're already so wet." He murmured before kissing his way down her neck. He pushed her back all the way down onto the bed, breaking her contact with him. He kissed his way down to her breasts, taking the right one in his mouth first and lightly biting her nipple. She yelped at the contact, bucking her hips against him. He slid a finger into her, using his thumb to continue rubbing her clit. He gently sucked and nipped at her breasts, and soon Eliza was finding it hard to think or be quiet. He slid another finger into her and began to pump his fingers in and out of her. Within minutes, she came, tightening her thighs around his arm and screaming his name. He continued kissing her neck and breasts for a few moments while she recovered.

Once her heart rate had decreased to a manageable level, she pulled him in for a kiss, biting his lower lip with some force, eliciting a low groan from him. She pushed him back onto the pillows and positioned herself between his legs. She pulled his boxers off and without warning took him into her mouth. He groaned again, throwing his head back. Soon, Eliza was working as much of him as she could with her mouth, watching him as she did. He looked down at her and they locked eyes. She smirked up at him and deep throated him, causing him to close his eyes and mumble "Fuck" over and over. He pulled her back by her hair, causing her to remove her mouth from his cock. "I'm not going to last if you keep that up."

She smiled at him and motioned to her bedside table. "Supplies are in there." She said, nipping his inner thigh and causing him to jerk.

"On your hands and knees." He ordered gruffly, and she complied, presenting her backside to him, glancing over her shoulder. He quickly put on a condom before gripping her hips in his hands. He thrust into her, bottoming out on the first stroke. Eliza gasped and bunched her sheets in her hand, subconsciously pushing back against him. "Fuck John, that feels amazing." She whispered as he began to move. He pumped in and out of her roughly and she pushed back, meeting his every move.

"That's it baby, take it all." He said to her in a low growl, speeding up his thrusts. Soon she was moaning and screaming his name. "Harder John, I'm gonna cum." She ordered through her moans. He gripped her hips tighter and she was sure she would have bruises in the morning. Within a few more thrusts, she was shaking, her walls contracting around him. He groaned and tried to hold out a little longer. Within seconds, he also reached his release. They both collapsed to the bed, John rolling slightly so he wouldn't fall directly on her. They lay there for a few minutes, catching their breath.

Eliza turned her head to look at John, offering him a wide smile. He grinned back at her, before saying, "I think we're going to have to do that again." She laughed and propped herself up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

"I agree. Wanna take a shower?" she glanced over her shoulder at him, biting her lip.

"Oh hell yea." He answered, scrambling off the bed. The two of them preceded to have sex 3 more times before John left in the late afternoon. She walked him to the door, dressed only in his Time Bandit t-shirt, leaving him bare chested.

"Are you really going to make me drive home shirtless?" he asked, tugged at her t-shirt. "I can bring it back to you, ya know."

"This is my prize. I'm keeping it." Eliza replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"So I know you said this was my only shot, but what are my chances at a repeat?" He smirked at her, running a finger across her bare thigh. "I think it's going to take a few more times to work you out of my system."

She leaned up and kissed him. "Take me on a real date and see what happens." She said, before pushing him out the door. "I'll be waiting on your call."

**And there you have it, smut scene number 2. I think I'm getting more comfortable with writing them! Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. **


	10. Feelings

**Okay, so just wanted to clear some stuff up that may have been confusing. Eliza is dating around per Edgar's advice. But, since most of the guys were out salmon tendering, she was pretty much only dating Edgar for those two months. So she's dating 3 guys, if you can count what happened with John as dating ;) Also, I further explain why she's sleeping around in this chapter. Hopefully everything makes sense after this one. **

***I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.***

She had been okay with the fact that she slept with John, up until the point where she was preparing to go to Edgar's. She couldn't date multiple people, not if she was going to sleep with them too. It didn't matter that Edgar was the one who suggested her current arrangement; she was still terrified he was going to find out, be pissed, and never speak to her again. On the drive over, she couldn't help but be nervous. Her love life was now like a soap opera. She had slept with two of the men that would be there and was dating a third. She pulled into Edgar's driveway, butterflies erupting in her stomach. She made her way inside, letting herself out the back door into the pool area.

"Hey, it's Liza!" Mike exclaimed, motioning her over to the table he was seated at. "Come join us!"

Eliza smiled and walked over to the table. _Is God punishing me for being a slut?_ She thought to herself, realizing that along with Mike, Jake A., and two guys she didn't recognize, the three men that completed her twisted love square were sitting around the table. She sat down at the last available seat, offering a small wave. She was trying not to let it show, but she was feeling very awkward right about now.

"So, we were just discussing something that concerns you." Jake said, leaning forward in his seat. "Did you know that they predict redheads will be extinct in 100 years?"

"Actually, I did hear about that. They say that because redheads don't procreate with other redheads as a general rule; it's causing the gene to become really diluted."

"That's what I was trying to explain!" Jake exclaimed. "You're a natural redhead right?"

"Yep." John and Josh answered at the same time. Josh and Edgar looked over at John in surprise. Eliza instantly blushed, and tried to look inconspicuous. She could see Edgar's jaw tighten and he looked over at her.

"Can I talk to you a minute?" he asked, pushing his seat back from the table. She shot John a glare and followed Edgar into his house. He led her down the hallway and into a small office. Once she shut the door, he spun around towards her, hurt and anger in his eyes. "Do you want to explain that?"

"You're the one that told me to date around." Eliza started, unable to look him in the eyes. "So that's what I am doing. We agreed this wasn't exclusive. Beside, you seem to have a problem with getting past second base with me."

"I was trying to give you some space." He answered, coming closer to her and leaning down to catch her eye. She raised her eyes to meet his and she could see the hurt still radiating from them. "I have wanted to sleep with you from the very beginning don't get me wrong. But I was trying to let you have your space and figure out where you wanted to be in life without me screwing it all up."

Eliza had already been feeling guilt for her actions, but right now she felt lower than dirt. "I'm sorry Ed, I really am. It's just, before all this, the only person I'd ever slept with was my ex-husband. I started dating him when I was 17! And then, when our marriage went to shit and I was divorced before 25, I felt like the biggest failure. That combined with the fact that I suddenly found myself a single mom, left me no room for a relationship of any sort. And then I get here and suddenly everyone wants in my pants. So, I date Josh and that goes to shit. And then, we started dating and it was great. Really great." She started to cry at this point, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Then they come home from fishing and John just happens to be there when I want to forget about the fact that my mom is dying of Alzheimer's. So I slept with him. And now he wants to date me too. I'm just so twisted up and I don't know what to do. I'm going to hurt someone's feelings."

"Hey, there's no reason to cry." He said gently, kissing her tears and then softly wiping them away. "What does your heart tell you? Forget about your brain and forget about your body's reaction. Listen to your heart and you'll have your answer. I'm prepared to deal with it, whatever it is. So don't worry about me."

She nodded her head and wiped at her eyes, trying to erase any evidence that she'd been crying. "I'm sorry I keep falling apart on you Ed."

"It's okay. I just want you to be happy." He said, pulling her in for a hug. "Now, do you want to stay or go home?"

"I'll stay." She said, offering him a small smile. "My brother has Alice, so I'm going to enjoy my adult evening."

"That's the spirit." He said guiding her back outside.

They returned to the table, only now it was Mike, John, Andy, and Sig sitting there. Eliza was glad that Josh wasn't sitting there, but was still a little embarrassed to see John. He gave her a questioning look, raising his eyebrow at her. She just smiled and nodded her head, silently letting him know everything was fine. Mike was quick to start up a conversation about horses with Andy, who was more than willing to participate.

"What about you, Eliza? You ever ridden?" Andy asked across the table.

"Have I ever ridden? You could say that." She grinned at him. "I used to compete in dressage events. Won two Junior National Championships in the amateur division when I was 14 and 15."

"Dressage?" he scoffed at her, before winking letting her know he was kidding. "You and your fancy English riding."

One of the men Eliza didn't recognize came running over. "Who wants to play pool volleyball?" he asked.

"Oh, Eliza, this is my son Scott." John said in way of introduction.

Eliza waved at Scott in greeting and then stood up. "I'm game. Come on Ed." She said grabbing his hand and dragging him up from his seat. "Quit being a fuddy-duddy and be on my team."

Eliza didn't notice John glaring at their backs as they walked away, but his brother Andy did. "What's up, brotha?" he asked once everyone else had gotten up from the table.

"Nothing, it's just… I slept with Eliza just yesterday and now she's flirting with Edgar." John sighed and started to get up. "I know she's dating around, but I don't like seeing it."

Andy whistled and shot his brother an incredulous look. "Are you jealous? 'Cuz that would mean you have feelings for this girl."

"No, I'm not jealous! Just, drop it." John replied angrily, walking away to sit by the pool. He was not going to play, just watch everyone make fools of themselves. He'd never admit it, but he also wanted to watch Eliza.

They broke up into two teams, seven people on each side. Eliza had Edgar, Mike, Norman, Scott, Andy, and a man she now knew as Matt on her side. The opposing team consisted of Laci, Sig, both Jakes, Josh, and two guys Eliza had not been introduced to. Edgar leaned over to whisper in her ear, "That's Nick and Eddie. Nick's on the Northwestern with me and Eddie's a deckhand on the Time Bandit."

"Thanks" she whispered back, before taking her place to the right of Andy. He glanced over at her, noticing the giant pirate ship tattoo and shouted, "I think we got a Time Bandit girl here! Check out this sick pirate ship."

He hoisted her up into the air on his shoulders so everyone could see. "Put me down Andy!" she yelled, trying to wiggle loose. It was no use. The Time Bandit crew, sans John and Josh, all crowded over to take a look. After a few embarrassing minutes, Andy finally dunked Eliza back into the pool. She came up for air, and pretended to pout. "Can we just play now?"

They got into position and the game began. Eliza's team was winning, and Laci was less than pleased. "Oh, you guys are so cheating!" she exclaimed after Mike managed to save yet another play. "You have a giant on your team!"

"Hey, don't be jealous. You can have a piece of me later tonight." Mike winked at his wife. Edgar pretended to gag and Mike punched him in the arm.

The game continued and about an hour in, Eliza's team was declared the winners. They all got out of the pool and dried off. Some of the guys choose that moment to leave, so Eliza parked herself on one of the lounge chairs to relax and stay out of the way. She was getting more comfortable with everyone, but was still not completely used to these moments of mass chaos. She heard a noise next to her, and looked over to see Josh sitting on the chair next to hers. "Hey." She said softly.

"So, you really are dating around." He said with a sigh. "I guess I was hoping I would come back home and we could just start over."

Eliza sat up in her chair, swinging her legs around to face him. "But we can Josh. I'm just not ready to be exclusive with anyone right now."

"See, that's the thing. I don't WANT to share you. I can't. So if this is what you're going to be doing, I'm out." He replied in frustration.

"Just like that? You're just going to give up?" Eliza asked, beginning to get angry. "We wouldn't have had to start over like this if you hadn't jumped down my throat to begin with."

"Don't you think I know that? I know it's all my fault." He sighed again, clearly upset with the way this conversation was going. "It's just the thought of someone else touching you, makes me want to start throwing punches. I can't do that, especially since one of those guys is my BOSS. So, the only way I know how to deal with it, is to step away."

Eliza felt tears pricking the back of her eyes. _I am not going to cry twice today._ She tried to compose herself, before answering. "Okay then. I'm sorry you feel that way. I really hope you won't take that out on Alice, she pretty much adores you."

"Anytime she wants to see me, you give me a call." He answered, standing back up. "I'm going home; I can't be here right now."

Eliza sat on the edge of her chair, her brain on overdrive. None of this was turning out how she imagined. She didn't know how long she sat there, but she was brought out of her thoughts when Laci sat down next to her.

"Hey girl." She said, bumping shoulders with Eliza. "I saw Josh leaving, he looked upset. You okay?"

Eliza nodded and offered Laci a half smile. "Yea, just thinking. How did this all get so fucked up?"

Laci laughed, "You've only really been with one guy before this honey. And now you have a swarm of them vying for your attention. You did what anyone else would; you got a little boy crazy. It's cool, just use your head and pick wisely. I have a feeling this will be your last shot."

"Gee thanks. No pressure or anything." Eliza responded, knowing Laci was right. She had to decide between the guys soon, or they would all lose patience with her. "What do I do?"

"What does your heart tell you to do?" Laci shot back. "That's what you need to follow."

"You're the second person to tell me that today." Eliza answered with a sigh. "I know what my heart is telling me, but I'm scared. Following my heart means someone can break it again. I don't know if I can survive another James."

"These guys are not James, Liza. They are good men who care about their families and their friends. If your only concern is heartbreak, you have nothing to worry about. Don't get me wrong, there will be fights, there will be arguments. But none of these guys would ever do to you what James did. So just put yourself out there and go for it."

"Okay." Eliza said softly, taking a deep breath. "You're right, I'm gonna do it. Right now."

**So, who does she choose? You'll have to wait and see!**


	11. The Choice

**Okay, here's goes. She's made her choice! I was struggling with who to pick, and got some help from Cezz2010. She picked one at random for me. So here goes!**

***I own nothing except Eliza, Alice, and Colin.***

Eliza awoke the next morning, an arm draped over her waist, holding her close. She smiled to herself, remembering the night before. Making a decision had been worth it, and she was completely happy with her choice. She rolled over and was met with brown eyes, already open, and looking down at her. He smiled slightly and she returned the gesture, before leaning up and touching her lips to his in a soft caress. She cuddled into his chest, closing her eyes again and just soaking in the feeling of being in his arms. She thought back on the day before, remembering the conversation they had.

_Eliza got up from her chair, and headed over towards the grill, where a bunch of the guys were standing around. She walked up to Edgar, giving him a small smile. "Hey, can I talk to you?" He nodded and then went in the house, back into the study she'd been in earlier that afternoon. _

_ "What's wrong?" he asked, leaning back against the desk, crossing his ankles casually._

_ "Oh, nothing…it's just…" Eliza took a deep breath, trying to get the courage to get this out. "Iwannabeexclusivewithyou." She rushed out. _

_ "What was that?" Edgar said with a grin, letting on that he knew exactly what she said._

_ "I want to be exclusive with you." She said, slower this time. She blushed, looking down at her feet._

_ "Are you sure about this?" Edgar asked, uncrossing his feet and walking over to her. "You seemed pretty upset earlier."_

_ "I'm sure…just don't break my heart okay?" Eliza whispered, taking a step closer to him. _

_ "Never darlin'." He replied, leaning in for a sweet, slow kiss._

She had stayed after the party, calling her brother and asking if he was okay with her not coming home that night. He had agreed and she had spent the night with Edgar. They hadn't had sex, both feeling a little awkward with the fact that it had been barely 24 hours since she'd slept with Johnathan. She sighed into his chest, thinking about what she was going to tell John. Edgar rubbed her back, "What's wrong darlin'?"

"Just thinking about how Josh and John are going to react to this." She said, kissing his bare chest lightly before pulling away from him slightly.

"Hey, we'll deal with it as it comes. They are going to have to get over it." He kissed her lips softly at first before deepening the kiss. "You're mine now."

Eliza giggled and put her lips back on his for another kiss. "That's right."

They were laying in Edgar's bed, neither one wanting to get up. Then Edgar heard his front door opening and kids laughing. "Oh shit, my kids are home." He said, crawling out of bed and throwing on some pants. "You can hide in here if you don't want to meet my ex-wife."

"Umm, nah, she'll have to meet me at some point." Eliza replied hesitantly, quickly getting dressed and throwing her hair back into a messy bun.

They walked into Edgar's living room together, and Eliza was faced with a woman standing there talking to three kids. _Relax, she's his ex-wife. She can't say shit about what Edgar does now._ The woman turned and as soon as she saw Eliza, her face immediately turned into a frown. She was tall, blonde, and skinny, and Eliza felt slightly intimidated. Why had she come out to investigate?

"Who's this Edgar?" she asked in a snotty voice. "She must be the babysitter, considering how young she is."

"I'm twenty eight." Eliza replied, stepping beside Edgar. He placed an arm around her shoulder, making it obvious to his ex that they were together.

"And he is 41. _Thirteen _years older than you little girl." She answered. Edgar's oldest son, realizing there was about to be a throw down, ushered his siblings outside. "Eric is 15, you were just a baby when he was born, while we _adults_ were starting a family."

"Louise…" Edgar started, the warning clear in his voice. "That's enough. You no longer have any say in my life."

"I don't want her around my children." Louise shrieked, pointing a finger at Eliza. "She's just a child herself, she wouldn't know the first thing about kids."

"Actually, I've been a single mom for the past five years, and I haven't had an amazing man to continue to father my child. I've done it all by myself." With that, she stepped away and went into the backyard, before she said something horrible to that woman. She didn't want to make Edgar mad, and refused to fight with his ex-wife. She stood, leaning over the railing of the deck, watching Edgar's kids play. A few minutes later, Edgar joined her, putting his hands on either side of her. He kissed the side of her neck and whispered in her ear. "Sorry about that babe."

She shivered and leaned back against his chest. "It's okay. It's just…does our age difference bother you?"

"Nope, it doesn't matter. You are an amazing woman and a great mother and I respect the hell out of you." She giggled at this and he kissed her neck again before continuing. "I'm in this thing for the long haul. You're not getting rid of me now."

Eliza felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see Colin was calling her. "Hello, my favorite brother!" she answered cheerily.

"I'm your only brother." Came his voice over the line. Edgar was standing close enough that he could hear the conversation and chuckled. "But thanks for the sentiment. What's the plan for today? I gotta leave in the morning."

"Okay, I'll be home shortly then. Have anything you want to do while you are here in Sea-Town?" Edgar laughed again at her slang, causing her to elbow him in the stomach. She heard him grunt and she bit her lip to keep from giggling at him.

"I'd love to see the Northwestern, if Edgar doesn't mind showing it to me. Unlike you, I am not living in the stone ages and have seen the show." Edgar took the phone from Eliza.

"Hey man, it's Edgar. I'm cool with you taking a look. We'll pick you and Alice up in 30 minutes." He paused for a moment, listening to Colin's response. "Cool, see ya."

He handed Eliza her phone back after hanging up. "I'll get the kids together and we can head out. We should be able to squeeze everyone in my Suburban. We'll have to get used to toting four kids around."

"Holy shit, that's true. I changed my mind, I'm going to find someone with less children." She walked towards the house quickly, only to be stopped by Edgar's arms picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. "PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, EDGAR HANSEN!" she screamed.

"Okay" he said, letting her drop a few inches, directly above the pool. "You sure about that?"

"On the ground! I swear to God, I will kick your ass if you drop me in that pool!" She said, kicking her legs.

"Well, quit squirming or I'll accidently drop you." He laughed, carrying her inside. He tossed her down on the couch and then smirked at her, taking in her disheveled appearance. "Well, don't you look all sexy." He leaned down over her on the couch, placing a knee on either side of her. He leaned down and kissed her. She responded immediately, reaching up to grip his hair and pull him closer. They were very quickly interrupted when they heard a throat clearing from behind them.

Edgar shot up, quickly standing next to the couch. His oldest son, Eric, was standing there, a disgusted look on his face. "Umm, Dad, what's going on?"

Edgar looked embarrassed and Eliza sat up, discretely fixing her hair and clothes. "Hey son, you remember Eliza, right? We're gonna go show her around the Northwestern in a little bit."

"Can I just stay here with Stephanie and Lucas? I'll watch them while you go." Edgar contemplated this for a moment. Stephanie was 11 and pretty much capable of taking care of herself. At 6, Lucas needed a little more supervision, but Edgar was sure Eric could handle it.

"Okay, son. Just make sure you all behave. I'll be back in a few hours." And with that, they were heading out the door.

**So this one is a little short and light and fluffy, but now you know her choice. Everything seems to be running smoothly but will that last?**


	12. A Little Bit of Romance

**Alright, I caved and decided to post another today :) Here ya go! Oh and, SMUT ALERT!**

***I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin***

It was now 2 days later, and Eliza was just ending her 12 hour shift at the hospital. She was having a bad day; she had lost a patient – a six month old little girl struggling with a genetic heart defect. She was exhausted, and close to tears. She called Laci, to let her know she was out of work. Since she had worked a 12 hour shift, Laci had picked up Alice from her summer camp, and usually watched her over at Eliza's until she got back.

"Hey Laci. I'm leaving the hospital now." Eliza said, her voice flat and emotionless. "I'll be home soon."

"What's wrong sweetie?" her friend asked her, concern evident in her tone.

"I lost a patient today and it was just really hard." Eliza sighed, knowing that wasn't all of it. She was a pediatric ICU nurse, losing patients was an unfortunate part of the job. "Well, that and I haven't seen Edgar in two days."

"I'm sorry sweetie. Why don't we get off the phone and you relax on your drive home? I'll see you in about 30 minutes okay?"

Eliza agreed and got off the phone, tossing it into her passenger seat. What irked her most about this whole thing was that she hadn't even spoken to Edgar since yesterday. Apparently his oldest son was not taking this whole thing well, now that he knew Edgar and Eliza were more than just friends. She hoped this wouldn't push them apart. She was worried Edgar would let his son's feelings about her affect their relationship. She sighed, turning on her radio, trying not to think about all of this right now. Stevie Nicks blasted through her stereo and she smiled and tried to relax. It only worked a little bit; she was still upset about her day and situation.

She parked her car and walked up to her apartment, frowning when she realized she didn't see Laci's car. She let herself into the house – it was strangely quiet. She glanced into the living room, and saw a single rose sitting with a note on the back of the couch. She picked up the rose and opened the note. _Don't worry, Laci has Alice. You just worry about relaxing. Go take a bath and chill. – Edgar_ Eliza smiled to herself, this was just too sweet. She wandered into her bedroom and saw a silky green robe sitting on the bed with another note. _Wear this after your bath. Only this. _ She bit her lip and giggled, taking the robe into the bathroom with her. She stopped short, seeing her bathtub. It had rose petals sprinkled around the base of it, and another note with bath bubbles and a lighter sitting on top of it next to the tub. There were candles set up all along the edge of the tub, and she hurried over to the bathtub to read the note. _Light some candles, take a nice relaxing bubble bath. There's some wine on the counter if you'd like. _She spun around towards the counter to see a bucket with ice and a bottle of white wine siting in it. There was a wine glass next to it and a little box filled with truffles. She settled in for a bath and a glass of wine. Resting her head back against the tub once she was in, she thought about just how lucky she was to have a guy like Edgar. Nobody had ever done anything like this for her before.

She was just finishing her glass and contemplating getting out to grab another when she heard a light knock on the door. "Come in" she called. Edgar poked his head around the door, eyes instantly darkening with lust at the sight of her in the tub. He smirked at her, before bringing the wine over and offering to pour her some more.

"Come on out after you finish that glass. I have something else for you." He said, kissing her forehead softly and retreating back to her bedroom. She closed her eyes again, relaxing and hoping her surprise involved them both being very naked. She finished her wine and wrapped her towel around herself, draining the water from the tub and blowing out the candles. She quickly dried off and put her robe on, exiting out to her bedroom. Edgar was nowhere to be seen, but there were candles lit all over the room and more rose petals on the bed. Her bedroom door opened, and she turned to see Edgar walking in. He was dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, but he'd never looked sexier to Eliza. He slowly let his eyes wander over her body, ending on her eyes. Eliza could see the lust radiating from them, and felt her heart rate increase. She had a pretty good idea where this was headed.

He motioned her over to the bed, untying the robe as soon as she was close enough. He slid his hands underneath the green fabric, sliding it off her shoulders. She bit her lip, becoming a little shy at being completely exposed to him. "You're so beautiful." He whispered to her, pulling her to him and kissing her. She hungrily kissed him back, running her hands under his shirt and pulling it up. They broke off the kiss long enough for him to help her pull the shirt off. She quickly went for his pants, starting to unbutton them when he stopped her. She felt a sense of deja-vu and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I swear to God Edgar, if you stop, I will…" he cut her off with a deep kiss, slowly lowering her onto the bed.

"I'm not stopping, I'm just going to enjoy this first time with you." He replied, trailing a finger down the column of her throat. Eliza gave him a wide smile and he returned it before gently nipping her collarbone. "Now be quiet and relax." He kissed her again, climbing on top of her. He sat up, kneeling with his legs on either side of her waist and gave her that sexy smirk of his. She pulled him down to meet her and he obliged, resuming their steamy make out session. He lifted his lips from hers and slowly trailed his lips down her neck, nipping and licking on his way down. He slipped one hand between her legs, pushing them apart gently. He ran a finger up her slit, discovering that she was more than ready for him. He quickly realized he was losing control and would not be able to draw this out in the manner he had hoped.

As if she could sense this, she started to undo his pants again. This time she received no resistance from him and she quickly undid his pants, pushing them down his legs. He slid them the rest of the way off and in one swift motion, entered her. She gasped and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper inside of her. She began to rock her hips against his and he got the hint, slowly pulling out and then sliding back in. They quickly found a good rhythm, Eliza beginning to get louder and louder. She was moaning and speaking incoherently. She began begging him to go harder, faster, deeper. "I'm so close, Ed." A few moments later, they came seconds after one another, both screaming each others' names.

Edgar collapsed on the bed next to her, completely out of breath. She managed to find the strength to cuddle up with him and he put his arms around her, pulling her close. They fell asleep, both completely exhausted.

**And there you have it, some Edgar smut. Hopefully it was up to par ;) Review and let me know how I did! **


	13. Problems in Paradise?

**Finished my homework and decided to write this one out. Enjoy!**

__***I only own Eliza, Alice, Colin, and Keagan.***

_Eliza awoke to find herself in Edgar's house, in his bed. She could hear a baby crying and frowned. She didn't even know anyone that had a baby. She got out of bed, throwing on a pink, fluffy robe she didn't know she owned. She walked down the hall, following the sounds. _

_ "Shh," she heard Edgar's voice from behind a door, that was just barely cracked. She pushed it the rest of the way open, to reveal a nursery. It was decorated in soft blues and greens, and Edgar sat in a white and blue rocking chair, holding a baby and a bottle. He looked up, smiling upon seeing her in the doorway. "Hey, I was trying to let you sleep."_

_ "It's okay. I'm up now." She was slightly confused, looking around the room. There was a crib against the far wall, white block letters above the bed proclaiming that the baby was named Keagan Adam. Her father's name. She looked back over at Edgar who was now feeding the baby._

_ "We made a pretty cute kid." He said, leaning back in the chair and sending her a sweet smile. Wait, this was her baby? Her and Edgar's?_

Eliza jerked awake, confused and feeling a little foggy. She looked over at the other side of her bed, to see Edgar missing. She thought back on her dream, and then panicked, realizing that they had not used a condom the night before. Hopefully her dream was not telling her that she was pregnant. Between the two of them there were 4 kids, she wasn't sure she could handle another one. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, before swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. She sat there for a moment, before grabbing the robe that had been quickly discarded the night before. She wrapped it around herself and went in search of Edgar. She found him in the kitchen and paused for a moment, leaning against the doorframe. He was puttering around her kitchen with just his jeans on. It looked like he was gathering supplies for breakfast, and Eliza smiled, forgetting about her worry that she might be pregnant. He turned and saw her in the doorway, stopping in his track and shooting her a big smile.

"Hey darlin', sleep well?" he asked resuming his previous activity. He began cracking eggs into a bowl and Eliza joined him in the kitchen, sitting down at the table.

"For the most part." She replied once she was seated. "Had a weird dream tho."

"What was it about?" he asked, whisking together the eggs with some cheese, salt, and pepper.

"Don't remember." Eliza lied, not wanting to freak him out by telling him her dream. _Oh, nothing, just dreaming about our future children._ Eliza held in a snort, trying not to alert to Edgar that wasn't telling the whole truth. "So, this is really awkward to bring up, but we didn't use any protection last night."

Edgar paused, setting the bowl back onto the counter and turning towards her. "Oh…well, then." He said, obviously he had not been thinking about it either. "Would that be so bad?"

Eliza froze, a frown on her face. "Ed, it's just this relationship is only 2 days old and I'm pretty sure we are not ready for that."

"I know, I'm not saying that we try or anything. But if it were to be the case, what would you do?" Edgar asked carefully.

"Well, we'd have to adjust to that." Eliza said frowning, wondering what exactly he was asking her. "What do you mean what would I do?"

"I guess what I'm trying to ask is…if you are pregnant will you move in with me? Let me take care of you?"

"Ed, I just…I can't handle this right now." Eliza quickly left the kitchen, hearing Edgar sigh, before she made her way down the hallway and to her room. She shut the door and locked it, sitting on her bed. She put her head between her legs, trying to keep herself from having a panic attack. She was just getting used to being in a relationship again, she was not ready to even talk about the next level. She remembered the talk she had with Laci, and tried to focus on her advice. She was quickly reaching the point where he could break her heart into a million pieces. And she was terrified. She sat there on her bed for a long time, ignoring Edgar's knocks on the door. After the fourth time of asking her if she was okay, she heard him sigh at her door and his footsteps retreat down the hall.

A little while later, Eliza was not sure of how much time had passed, she heard a knock on the door. "Edgar, please just go." She begged, her voice cracking. She was still close to panicking and knew a confrontation with him would put her over the edge.

"Honey, it's Laci. Open up please." She heard her best friend's voice through the door. Eliza got up from the bed and unlocked the door. She didn't open it, just retreated back to her bed and pulled her covers over herself. This brought tears to her eyes, she could still smell Edgar's scent on her sheets. Laci poked her head in, her face softening in concern when she realized Eliza was getting ready to cry. "Oh honey." She said, quickly shutting the door and coming over to Eliza.

"What's going on baby?" she asked, kneeling beside the bed to meet Eliza's eye. "Talk to me."

"Oh Laci, I'm so embarrassed." Eliza started, wiping her face to prevent the tears from falling. "It's just, I'm freaking out here. We didn't use protection last night and when I broached the possibility of pregnancy, he asked if I would move in with him. And I just, flipped out and ran away. I don't know what to do. He's probably mad at me now."

"Hey, it's okay. He's not upset, just worried about you." Laci said, shifting to sit on the side of Eliza's bed. "It's okay to be scared. You had a very shitty ex-husband that fucked you over something fierce. Edgar knows your story, he understands."

Eliza just nodded, and glanced up at her friend, an apologetic smile on her face. "So, what do I do now?" she asked, trying to calm down.

"You get up and get dressed, first of all. Then you go out there and you act normal. The two of you can talk about this more later, but right now you gotta suck it up. Your daughter is out there and you have to act normal around her. Got it?"

Eliza nodded and Laci smiled back at her friend. She got up and left, locking the door behind her. Eliza stood up and began to get ready for the day. She was feeling better after Laci's pep talk and other than a lingering sense of embarrassment, she wasn't feeling badly at all. She finished getting ready, now dressed in a pale yellow sundress, and made her way out to the living room. Edgar was sitting on the floor with Alice, the two of them coloring on a piece of paper. "Hi mommy!" her daughter called from the floor. "Me and Ed are coloring you a picture."

She smiled and met Edgar's eye. He winked at her and smiled, letting her know he was not upset about what happened early. With a small blush she sat down on the couch, answering her daughter. "Oh really? What are you coloring?"

"It's a surprise." Came the answer, and then Alice was ignoring her mom, whispering things in Edgar's ear and giggling. Eliza smiled and watched the two of them, her heart warming at the interaction. Maybe it wouldn't be so horrible if she was pregnant, she thought to herself. She would just take things as it came. After a few minutes, Alice came running up to her, presenting her with the picture. "Here you go Mommy!"

She looked at the picture, smiling at the contents. Her daughter had drawn the three of them as well as Edgar's children all standing in a row. Across the top of it, Edgar had helped Alice spell out "Come to Disney with us." Alice let her mom look for a second before exclaiming "Can we go mom? Please please?"

Eliza shot a glare in Edgar's direction, upset that he had asked her to go without consulting her first. There was no way she was getting the time off to go and now she had to be the bad guy and tell her daughter no. He caught her eye and gave her a smile, quickly adding, "I talked to your boss yesterday evening. She agreed it would be good for you to relax after your last case. You've got 2 weeks of paid vacation starting today."

Eliza looked at him shocked. "Are you serious?" she exclaimed, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She thought of something, letting her smile drop a little. "What about Eric? Isn't he going to be pissed I'm joining in on a family vacation?"

"He'll get over it." Edgar said, getting up from the floor. "Now, let's get you two packed. I'll help Alice and you go get yourself ready. Our plane leaves in the morning."

"What would you have done if I said no?" she asked, narrowing her gaze at him playfully.

"I knew you'd say yes." Was his only answer, before he disappeared into Alice's room to help her pack.

**Remember, reviews are greatly appreciated! **


	14. Airports

**Thank you to everyone for the amazing reviews! This one is a little short, but I think it addresses a lot. Enjoy it!**

***I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.***

"Dad, I can't believe she's coming with us!" Eric exclaimed getting up out of his seat. "This is a family vacation and she is NOT family!"

"Would you stop yelling in the airport?" Edgar hissed at him. "Get over it! I invited her and Alice and they are coming!"

"Whatever Dad, obviously the only thing you give a shit about is getting laid." Eric said, pointing at Eliza, who was currently trying to distract the younger kids from the argument. "You don't care about this family anymore. If you did you'd be back with mom!"

"Is that what this is about?" Edgar replied, voice softer. He hated that his kids had to deal with a split up family. "Son, we've been divorced for almost two years now. Your mother and I are not going to get back together."

"She would take you back if you stopped fishing!" Eric yelled back, obviously still upset.

"Eric, fishing is in my blood. It's in your blood. All the nice things you have, is because I fish. Its how I provide for all of you." Edgar motioned for Eric to sit down again. After a brief pause, he did. "Eliza and I are just dating. She's not taking your mom's place. I wouldn't be with your mother regardless; she has nothing to do with that."

"Mom says she's too young for you anyways." Eric answered, getting back up. He wasn't going to give it up now matter what his dad told him. "I'm going to take a walk."

"The plane boards in 30 minutes. Be back soon." Edgar sighed, getting up and heading over to where Eliza was sitting with Stephanie, Logan, and Alice. He wasn't going to argue with his oldest son right now, this was not the time or place. He sat down next to Eliza, sighing and leaning back in his seat.

"Everything ok?" she asked tentatively.

"He's just being a teenage boy." Edgar answered, reaching for her hand and lacing their fingers together. "Hopefully he'll get over it."

Soon, it was time to board the plane, and Eric still wasn't back. "I'm going to kick his…" Edgar stopped, glancing over at the younger kids who were looking at him curiously.

"You were gonna say a bad word Daddy." Stephanie announced.

"Yea, I was." Edgar ran his hands through his hair. "Where is he?"

"You get the kids settled. Hand me Eric's boarding pass and I'll be back in a few." Eliza said, thinking maybe a private talk with her would settle the boy down.

"Are you sure about that? He can be quite nasty."

"I've got this." Eliza assured, holding her hand out for the ticket. Edgar passed it over and she kissed his cheek, before quickly walking off in search of the teen.

She found him sitting on a bench a few gates down, staring off into space. She sat in the seat next to him and paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Look, I know you don't like me." Eric snorted and rolled his eyes. "Just hear me out. I know you don't like me and that's fine. I'm not asking you to. What I am asking is that you treat your father with respect and at least pretend to have a good time on this trip. Your brother and sister are very excited to be going and you shouldn't ruin it for them."

"You just want my dad for his money and to give your kid a father." Eric responded angrily, crossing his arms across his chest. "I know your type."

"You know nothing about me, Eric." Eliza responded gently, trying to remain calm. "But if you take the time to, you'd realize I'm not here for your dad's money or to take him away from you. I've done just fine on my own with Alice and am not looking for a man because I need my kid to have a father. I'm here because I love your dad."

After saying it, Eliza realized what had just come out of her mouth. She sat for a moment, stunned. At some point during the two months she had known him, she had fallen in love. It was scary and terrifying, but she couldn't freak out about it in front of Eric. She had to remain calm.

"Let's just go." Eric said, getting up and making his way towards their gate. They made it there just as they were announcing last boarding call. They quickly found their seats, Eliza sliding in next to Edgar. Alice had the window seat and Edgar's kids were in the row behind them. Edgar smiled at Eliza, putting his arm around her.

"Good job." He whispered in her ear. "I'm very impressed."

Eliza smiled at him, a flirty look on her face. "How about you show me later just how impressed you are?" she whispered back.

Edgar groaned, and pulled her closer to him in a brief hug. They settled in for the flight, all the kids falling asleep rather quickly. Soon, it was only Edgar and Eliza up and they whispered quietly to each other, planning what they were going to do once they arrived.

"So, I'm taking you out to dinner tomorrow night. I've already arranged for the younger kids to go to the Mousekeeter Club – it's open 'til Midnight. And Eric has an E-Ride pass. He gets to go ride everything after the park closes and there are shorter lines." Edgar was saying, outlining part of their trip.

"You have everything planned out!" Eliza smiled at him. "This is why I love you." She stopped, a surprised look on her face. _Oh shit, did I just say that out loud?_ She thought to herself.

Edgar looked over at her, his face unreadable. "You love me?" he asked softly.

"Look, I know it's way to early to be saying things like that and I've probably freaked you out and you're sorry you brought me on this trip and…" Edgar placed a finger over her lips to stop her rambling. He was grinning by this point. Once she stopped talking, he removed his finger.

"Hey, relax. I love you too." He said, placing his hand in hers. "I was just waiting to tell you. I didn't want to scare you off."

"Really?" Eliza squeaked, eyes wide. He chuckled and pulled her in for a quick, soft kiss. "Really."

**Next up, Disney! I love going there myself, so I am looking forward to the next couple of chapters :)**


	15. Epcot

**Here's the first Disney Chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it! There is some light smut towards the end. **

***I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin***

Eliza was discovering that Disney was different than she'd expected. She'd imagined everything was Mickey Mouse and princesses and full of little kid magic. She'd been pleasantly surprised at the first park on their list – Epcot. She'd come to realize that the giant sphere seen in all of the pictures actually housed a 16 minute ride covering the dawn of recorded time to present. The kids found it incredibly boring, but Eliza had a lot of fun. Their next stop was "Norway Pavilion". Edgar had insisted they go and Eliza was more than happy to get a glimpse at his background. They entered the pavilion and they were greeted with the sight of a Scandinavian village square. Edgar turned towards Eliza, grinning like a small child.

"Ok, so we gotta check out the Maelstrom ride – it gives a nice Norwegian history lesson in it. And we'll eat lunch at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall and check out the Viking exhibit." He threw an arm around Eliza's shoulder, pulling her close to him as they walked. "I've got to help educate you since you're Irish and of an inferior race."

Eliza pretended to pout, pushing his arm off of her shoulder. "Well, if that's how you feel." She linked arms with Stephanie and Alice, walking ahead of Edgar towards the Maelstrom ride. "Us girls will just stick together. Right?"

Both girls nodded, Stephanie turning around and sticking her tongue out at her father. They got into the line; Eliza taking the moment to look at the structures that were supposed to be like a real Scandinavian village. It was really picturesque, but not too different from small Irish villages like the one her father grew up in. They quickly moved through the line and began to board the ride. Stephanie and Alice filed into a row, with Erik and Logan sitting in the one behind them. That left Eliza with Edgar, who stepped in front of her, giving her a goofy grin. "Step into my Viking ship pretty lady."

Eliza rolled her eyes, laughing and hopping into the boat. Edgar quickly got in beside her, taking the opportunity to toss his arm around her again. The boat departed shortly and they were quickly enveloped in an inky darkness. Eliza saw a Viking head illuminated ahead and it began to talk. _"You are not the first to pass this vay, nor shall you be the last. Those who seek the spirit of Norvay, face peril and adventure. But more often find beauty and charm."_ Eliza leaned over to Edgar, whispering in his ear, "Hey Mr. Viking, can you talk in that accent for me later?" He chuckled and pulled her close, "Only if I get to pillage you." She just gripped his thigh in response.

They continued on the ride in relative silence, Eliza soaking in the sights. After the ride was over, they watched a short video on Norway in present time, with Edgar leaning over and giving his opinion on much of the movie. They kids seemed restless after this, so they decided to have an early lunch before heading over to the Viking exhibit. They headed over to the dining hall, and they had a wonderful lunch with authentic Norwegian dishes. Edgar kept telling Eliza what they were, but she just couldn't keep them straight. After they finally finished in "Norway", they headed over to the aquarium. To fully enter the aquarium, they had to ride in a 'clamobile' and 'help' find Nemo. Alice and Logan loved it, they were both chattering excitedly.

Once they were actually in the aquarium, they took a look around. After about an hour, Eliza assumed they were getting close to leaving. She paused beside Edgar. "So what are we doing now?"

Well, now that we've seen most of the aquarium, I arranged for the kids to go feed the manatees that are here for rehabilitation." He said with a smirk. "And you and I are going to go do the Epcot DiveQuest."

"Excuse me?" Eliza raised her eyebrow at him. "You want me to go dive in the 5.7 million gallon tank full of sharks and stingrays and dolphins? Are you crazy?"

"Why are you SCUBA certified if you don't like to dive?" Edgar was full on grinning now. "And dolphins?"

"Because I went to Hawaii a few years ago and wanted to be able to participate in anything. I didn't do it once I saw the sharks." Eliza was facing him, hands on her hips. "And dolphins are evil. Why does everyone forget that they can kill sharks? There have been numerous documented dolphin attacks on humans."

"Chill, it's going to be fun!" Edgar wrapped his arms around her waist. "Erik is taking the kids to feed the manatees right now. So it's some time for just you and me to do something fun."

"If I die, tell Alice I love her." Eliza said in mock distress. "And make sure Laci gets custody."

"Nothing is going to happen. Come on." Edgar rolled his eyes. Eliza folded her arms over her chest, refusing to move. With an evil smirk, Edgar lifted her over his shoulder, carrying her towards the elevators that would take them to the SCUBA room. Eliza let out a squeal. "Did you already forget, I come from Viking stock. I'll get my way."

Once at the elevators, he placed her down on her feet, leaning in for a kiss. "Trust me, this will be fun."

"You better be glad I love you." Was her response. She narrowed her eyes at him. "How did you know I was SCUBA certified?"

"Your brother mentioned it when he was checking out the Northwestern. Thought it would be a good idea to put it to some use."

After the scuba diving, they made their way up to the manatee pool. "See that wasn't so bad." Edgar said, leaning back against the side of the elevator. "I told you it'd be fun."

"You so owe me lots of sex tonight." Eliza muttered, still pretending to be upset. She would never admit it now, but she had a lot of fun. Her pride prevented her from saying that however, so she was still pretending to pout.

"Oh, it's a deal sweetheart." He replied, a smile on his face. "Tonight's our date too. I get you all to myself for a few hours. I'm trying to be good in front of the kids." They were almost to their destination and Edgar reached out, hitting the stop button on the elevator. "This is what you do to me." He reached for Eliza's hand, bringing it back to rest on his pants.

"That's quite the bulge, Edgar. Do you need some help with that?" Eliza asked, a wicked smirk on her face. "I'd say we have less than 10 minutes to find a solution before someone comes looking for us."

"Is this really happening?" Edgar muttered to himself as she unzipped his pants, dropping to her knees. She nodded up at him, before gently removing his cock from his pants. "Holy shit, it is."

Eliza smirked up at him before sliding her mouth over his cock. He groaned, leaning his head back against the wall, one hand entangling itself in her hair. She slowly slid her mouth up and down over his shaft, every so often pausing to lick around the head. His grip tightened and he breathed out her name, encouraging her to keep going. Before long, she was quickening her pace, working him with both hands and mouth. She looked up his body, their eyes locking. It seemed that was what Edgar needed to be pushed over the edge, because seconds later he was coming. She swallowed it all down, wiping her mouth and standing back up. Eliza fixed her hair and as soon as Edgar was all zipped up, she pressed the stop button again, the elevator resuming its journey.

"Damn that was hot." Edgar said, still trying to regain his composure. At that time they reached their destination, stepping off the elevator and seeing the kids sitting on a bench, waiting on them to arrive.

"Hey dad! Did you have fun? Cuz we had fun!" Logan said jumping up from his seat.

"Yea son, we had a lot of fun." Edgar replied with a wink towards Eliza.

**This one was a little short, but it would have been ridiculously long to combine it with their date night. I'll get the next one up as soon as possible. School is kicking my butt! **


	16. The Chef's Table

**Ok, so I couldn't stop the flow of ideas, so I wrote this instead of doing my homework. Their date is something I have not done myself at Disney, but I would love to at some point, when I have more money. The dinner they go to is something anyone can do, but it'll run you about $300-350 a person. There is SMUT in this. Hope everyone enjoys it!**

***I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.***

Eliza was finishing up her makeup in the bathroom, excited about her evening out with Edgar. They had a wonderful day with the kids, but she was excited to spend some alone time with him. He had informed her that the place he was taking her had a dress code, and to get "all dolled up". Eliza stepped back from the mirror, taking a quick inventory of her attire. She was wearing a new dress – a dusty pink knee length dress with a deep necklace and empire waist. It had a panel of white lace starting at the shoulders and spilling over the back, ending right above her rear. Her Alice in Wonderland tattoo could be seen underneath, the colors bright through the pale lace. She was wearing silver gladiator sandals, and dangling pink crystal earrings. She frowned at the mirror, she wished she'd been able to find a necklace to wear with it, but after hours of shopping with Laci the day before they left, she was unable to find anything. Eliza had pinned up the top half of her hair twisted both sides and pinning them in the back. She let her natural curls fall down her back. She decided she was done and exited the bathroom, where Edgar was sitting in the lounge, waiting on her. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a white button up shirt and a blazer. He looked good, but Eliza preferred the rough around the edges Edgar.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so dressed up." She mused, walking further into the room.

He looked up, a grin on his face that quickly grew. "Well sweetheart, you put me to shame." He said, hopping up from the couch and walking over to her. He kissed her full on the lips, causing her to moan and rise up on the balls of her feet, wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled away from her, taking a step back to distance himself from her. "We better get going. I pulled a lot of strings to arrange this for tonight and if we aren't careful, we are going to be late."

They exited the hotel to, Eliza stopping short at the sight in front of her. "You got a limo?" she asked, smiling at Edgar.

"Yep, let's go." He helped her into the car and climbed in himself. Within 10 minutes, they had arrived at their destination. Eliza got out, quickly realizing they were at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. She whirled around towards Edgar, eyes wide.

"Ok, it's going to sound really weird, but I've been researching Disney for years dreaming about bringing Alice here one day. So, I know a lot about this place. Are you taking me to Victoria and Albert's?" she asked in an excited voice.

"Just calm down, you'll see." Edgar said with a smile, leading her into the resort. He turned her towards a hallway and they quickly came to Victoria and Albert's. Edgar spoke quietly to the m'aitre de and he ushered for them to follow him. Eliza was trying to look all around as she walked. This was by far the nicest restaurant she'd ever been in.

They arrived at the kitchen area and Eliza tried to contain her squeal when she saw the long wooden table to the side of the kitchen. It was set for two, and Eliza was pretty sure she knew who it was for. They were seated at the table, Edgar pushing in Eliza's chair for her. They were left alone with the promise that the chef would be out shortly. "Oh my god Edgar, this is amazing! How did you arrange to have sat at the Chef's Table?"

"I have my ways." Edgar replied with a wink. He reached across the table, linking his hand with hers. "I wanted this to be a night you remembered. Oh, I have something for you." He reached in his pocket, pulling out a small jewelry box. "Don't worry, I'm not proposing." He said quickly, seeing the look of shock on her face. He passed the box over to her.

Opening the box, Eliza saw a thin silver necklace with three charms on the end. There was a large silver anchor charm, probably 2-3 inches in height. Alongside the anchor on either side were two hanging crystals, one a topaz color and the other an amethyst. Eliza felt tears come to her eyes when she realized they were her and Alice's birthstones. "Oh, Edgar. This is too much."

"No, it's not. You deserve it. The anchor is obviously to represent me and the birthstones are for you and Alice. I have to leave to help get the boat ready once we get back from this vacation, and I wanted you to have something to remember me by. I know it's silly, but hopefully it will remind you that I love you while I'm gone."

A man in a chef coat and hat came over at that moment, a smile on his face. "Hello Edgar! How are you doing?" he greeted Edgar. "This must be Eliza. You're even lovelier than he told me."

"Oh, uh, thanks." Eliza stuttered, overwhelmed by the evening already.

"I'm Scott Hunnel, head chef here. I met Edgar a few years back when I catered a Deadliest Catch event." He held out his hand to shake and Eliza graciously accepted. He pulled a bottle of champagne from a silver bucket sitting beside the table, pouring two glasses. "I hope you enjoy your meal. I don't know if you know how this works, but I'll be personally bringing you your courses and explaining each dish in detail. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Now, do you have any food allergies or food that you just don't like?"

"No food allergies and I like trying everything." Eliza said with a nervous smile. She wasn't used to getting all this attention.

"Good, that makes my job easier. I traditionally start the evening off with a toast and I'll talk with you briefly about what kind of meal you'll be having." He passed her one of the glasses. "Would you like a glass of sparkling water to join us Edgar?"

"No, I'm good. You guys go ahead and enjoy." He answered, a smile on his face. He was enjoying Eliza reaction and knew this evening would be worth every penny.

After toasting and speaking with Chef Hunnel, he left to prepare their first course. Eliza could help but quietly let out a girly squeal, making Edgar chuckle at her. She quickly blew him a kiss. "Thank you so much for this, Ed. This is amazing."

They chatted for a while waiting on their first dish. A few minutes later, Chef Hunnel came back out, with two dishes in hand. "And here's your first course. It's a lobster panna cotta. Panna cotta itself is a cream based gelatin, flavored by what you put in it. This one has been infused with a mixture of chicken stock, carrots, leeks, and spices. It's topped with a fennel cream sauce and shaved white truffles, sitting on top of a bed of fennel and lobster. Enjoy!" And with that he departed, leaving them alone to begin their meal. They ate in silence at first, both just savoring the delicate dish, the panna cotta melting in their mouths. Eliza was pretty sure she'd never eaten like this before.

The courses continued, each more delicious than the last. Eliza knew from her research that there were generally 12-13 courses, each a small sampling. They were 9 courses in and had been informed there would be 3 more, each of them a dessert. Eliza grinned at this proclamation; she couldn't wait to see what they had in store.

The first dessert ended up being a crème brulee, infused with raspberries and strawberries, topped with a vanilla caramel sauce and fresh berries on the side. Eliza's favorite however was the last dish. Chef Hunnel arrived, a waiter behind him with drinks in hand. "Here's your last course. It's a mocha-scented Tanzanie Chocolate Mousse Timbale and a chocolate cocktail on the side. Yours doesn't have any alcohol Edgar, don't worry. The cocktail for you Eliza is made with a single shot of vodka. It's a chocolate orange flavor and it's served warm to keep the chocolate nice and creamy. The dish itself is a creamy chocolate mousse served inside an edible dark chocolate cauldron. There's a melon salsa on the side to cut the thickness of the chocolate. The arch over the plate is a white chocolate hand spun sugar creation. I hope you enjoy it."

The chocolate was the best Eliza had ever eaten. After the finished, the meal quickly wrapped up, Edgar settling the bill without letting Eliza see the cost. They headed back out, by this time almost 4 hours had passed and it was dark as they exited. The limo was waiting on them and they made their way back to the hotel. After entering their room, Edgar hung the Do Not Disturb sign, winking at Eliza as he did so.

"So, we have a few hours before the kids get back." He said, shedding his blazer and unbuttoning the front of his shirt. "What do you say we make the most of our time?"

Eliza smiled, slipping off her shoes and making her way over to Edgar. "I think that sounds like an excellent plan." She unzipped her dress, letting it fall to her feet. Edgar sucked in a deep breath of air, before letting out a low whistle. Eliza was not wearing a bra, her dress had padded cups and since the back was lace, she couldn't make one work. She was however wearing lacy see-through cheeky panties, their color a pale rose. He made his way to her, eyes on her body the whole time.

Once he reached her, he cupped her breasts in his hands, bringing them together to meet. He lowered his head, running his tongue along the tops of them both, causing Eliza's knees to feel weak. He was being so incredibly gentle, it took her breath away. He moved his hands to her waist and carefully walked her backwards, guiding her through the suite to their bedroom. Eliza took that opportunity to unbutton his shirt the rest of the way, gently sliding it off his shoulders. He removed his hands from her waist to let the shirt fall off, landing on the floor forgotten. She quickly unbuttoned his pants, pushing them down to the floor. He shed himself of his boxers, pausing to kiss the front of her thighs on his way back to standing. She shivered and he gently pushed her back onto the bed. He kissed his way down her stomach, letting his tongue circle her navel before continuing his journey down her body. He kissed her mound over the panties, spreading her legs open to him. "You're already wet." He murmured before kissing her full on her panty-covered crotch. He pushed them aside, rubbing his finger along her clit. She bucked her hips at his touch, before letting out a low moan. He removed her panties, sliding them down her legs, kissing spots as he went. After they were removed he came back up, parting her legs again and settling himself between them. With a wicked grin, he leaned down and swept his tongue up her slit, pausing to circle her clit with his tongue. Eliza whimpered in response, her hips rising from the bed to meet his mouth. He quickly brought her with his mouth, and before she came down all the way, he was pulling her legs up and apart, burying himself inside of her in one swift motion. She arched her hips against him, digging her nails into his hips, trying to pull him closer to her. They rocked together in a slow, deep rhythm.

After a while, they were both moaning and whispering each other's names, both of their bodies coated in a fine sheen of sweat. Eliza locked eyes with Edgar before pulling him down for a slow, sweet kiss. After they parted, they continued to look into each other's eyes, both of them maintaining eye contact. "I love you." He whispered down to her, a smile forming on his face. "I love you too." She responded, a matching smile on her own face. They came together a few minutes later, Eliza not closing her eyes until the very end. Afterwards, they lay together; Eliza curled up in Edgar's arms. She kissed his chest softly, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. Edgar watched her sleep, brushing her hair back from her face to gently stroke her cheek. He let her sleep while he went to get the kids, crawling back into bed with her after he returned, to be accepted into her embrace. They both slept well that night, better than they had in a long time.

**I'm planning to do a park or two a chapter, so Disney will extend a few more chapters. Then we'll see how Eliza deals with King Crab season. Can she handle it?**


	17. Lost

**Here's the next chapter! My semester is officially over, so these should come more frequently now! Sorry bout the wait!**

* * *

The next day found the five of them wandering around The Magic Kingdom. This is what everyone thought of when someone said Disney World. The younger kids were having a blast, running around with their autograph books trying to meet every princess and character from any Disney movie. They had started the morning with Disney's Family Magic Tour, which turned out to be a lot of fun for the kids, and secretly Eliza as well. They had spent close to two hours "saving" the Magic Kingdom theme park from a villain, following clues, breaking puzzles, and having a scavenger hunt. Eliza and Edgar had run around with the kids, encouraging them to get more and more excited. After they finished that tour, they rode a few rides, including It's a Small World. During that one, Eliza and Edgar sat in the back, making out like teenagers until Eric requested they "stop being gross." They were currently in Adventureland, trapesing around the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. With six stories, it was every kid's dream of a treehouse. The kids had taken off with Eric, who promised to keep a close eye on them and Eliza and Edgar had leisurely followed behind.

"So, I think the kids are enjoying this park way more than Epcot." Eliza said, smiling at Edgar.

They linked arms, Edgar quickly kissing Eliza's cheek. "I think you are enjoying it just as much." He joked. She shrugged, not bothering to deny it.

_**Flashback: **_

_ "Hurry mommy, we have to find the clue scroll so we can save The Magic Kingdom from Captain Hook!" Alice exclaimed, pulling Eliza along with her. _

_ "Well, let's get looking!" Eliza grinned, skipping ahead of her daughter. "I bet I can find it first!"_

_ The two of them began searching the Tour Garden for the scroll. Edgar just sat back with Erik on a bench, laughing at them and the other two children. _

_ "I found it!" Eliza shouted, standing up from behind a bush and doing a happy dance. She stuck her tongue out at Alice. "I win."_

_ Edgar began to laugh harder at this, gaining Eliza's attention. "What are you laughing at?" She placed her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows, and giving him a look._

_ "Nothing darling." He sent her a boyish smirk, lighting up his handsome face. Eliza smiled back, skipping over to him and placing a kiss on his lips. "I'm glad you're having fun." _

They continued on in silence for a moment, until Stephanie came running up to them out of breath. "Dad," she began, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Eric lost Alice."

"What?" Eliza exclaimed, fear instantly gripping her heart. "Where is he?"

"Looking for her on the fourth floor, that's where she was when she disappeared." Tears began to form in the eleven year old's eyes. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault. We were playing hide and seek and now she's gone!"

"We'll find her, don't worry babe." Edgar said, pulling Eliza in for a quick hug. "Let's go look for her."

They made their way up to the fourth floor, Eliza's mind racing. What if someone had taken her? What if she never saw her baby again? She was close to having a meltdown and took a deep calming breath. She could freak out later, right now she had to stay strong to find Alice. Once on the fourth floor of the treehouse, they quickly spotted Erik. He looked panicked and was yelling at Logan to stay right beside him. They walked over to him, anxious to hear what he knew.

"Eliza, I'm so sorry! One minute she was here, and the next minute she was gone!" Erik seemed really shook up, letting his tough guy façade down.

"It's okay Erik, it could have happened to me too." Eliza reassured the boy.

"Eliza, you go report this to Security and I'll help them look. We'll call your cell if we find her." Edgar said, immediately taking control of the situation. "We'll find her babe."

Eliza nodded, taking off towards the nearest security stand. After getting out of the treehouse, she took off, only stopping when she got there.

"Hi, I need to report a lost child." She said trying to catch her breath, both from the run and the fear. After explaining the situation to the Security guard, Eliza called Edgar for an update.

"Did you find her?" He asked as soon as the call connected. Eliza groaned to herself.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Eliza sighed out loud. "I'm really worried Ed."

"I know you are baby. We'll find her." He said in a comforting tone. "What did Security say?"

"They are going to scour the area around the Treehouse, see if she's close by. They've alerted the whole park and the exit guards have her picture and are carefully monitoring the exits."

"See, she won't leave the park and it's only a matter of time before we find her." He said. "I'm keeping Logan with me and Erik and Steph are looking on the other floors of the Treehouse."

"I need you Ed. I'm freaking out." Eliza whispered, sinking into a bench next to the security station.

"Okay, me and Logan will be down in a minute. I'll call Erik and let him know what's going on." Eliza nodded, even though Edgar couldn't see her reaction through the phone. She was afraid if she spoke, she was going to lose it. "I love you, I'll be right there."

They disconnected and Eliza bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the tears she knew were coming. She needed to stay strong and level-headed, but she didn't know if she was going to be able to do so. A few minutes later, she saw Edgar walking towards her, a firm grip on Logan's hand and a worried look upon his face. She stood up, running to meet him. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. As soon as he wrapped his arms around her, she lost it. He helped her to the bench, making her sit down. She sat there sobbing, big tears running down her cheeks.

"Honey, you've gotta calm down and breathe. It's gonna be alright." Edgar said in a gentle voice, rubbing slow circles on her back with one hand. "They'll find her."

"What if they don't?" Eliza got out between sobs, lifting her head to look at him. Her pale skin was red and blotchy from crying and her mascara was running. Edgar lifted his other hand, wiping her eyes softly.

"It does no good to think about that." He replied finally. "Let's just concentrate on helping find her."

"Okay, you're right." Eliza said taking a deep breath. She leaned in and kissed Edgar softly, offering a small smile. "Thanks for calming me down."

It had now been 2 hours since Alice went missing, and they still had no leads. Where was she? Was she hurt? Eliza was about to go crazy with worry. They better find her soon.

* * *

**So, where's Alice? Is she okay? **


	18. Hospitals and Waiting Rooms

**Next chapter up! Sorry I left a cliffhanger for a few days! Hope you enjoy this one! **

* * *

Eliza was starting to get more and more anxious. It was now approaching 3 hours since Alice had gone missing. Edgar was sitting with his children while she went back into the Security station to check for any news.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but have you heard anything?" she asked the security guy at the desk. He was just setting his phone down.

"Actually, yes. That was Emergency Services. They found her in Frontierland. You might want to head over there, she's been injured."

Eliza flew out of the station, catching Edgar's eyes. "They found her, come on."

They rushed over to the Emergency Services station, Eliza's heart still racing. Her little girl was hurt. How had it happened? They arrived within minutes, Eliza throwing the door open. Alice lay on a stretcher, her left wrist at an odd angle. Her clothes were dirty and her hair was tangled. Eliza could see tear streaks on her cheeks from where she had been crying. Eliza rushed over to her, taking her right wrist into her hand and hugging Alice tightly.

"Baby girl, you had me so worried." She murmured to her, kissing her head and smoothing her hair. "What happened?"

"I was playing hide and seek with Steph and she never came and found me. I think my hiding spot was too good." She paused, tears coming to her eyes. "After a really long time, I came out and looked for you guys. I couldn't find you so I tried to leave. I fell off of one of the bridges and hurt my wrist. Then a nice lady found me and brought me here."

"M'am, she's going to need to go to the Emergency Room to have a cast put on that wrist. Don't worry – we're covering the costs and refunding your stay." The EMT said walking over to them. "We've already called an ambulance."

Eliza just nodded, eyes still on Alice. She had never known such panic as she did today and needed to reassure herself that her baby was here with her. She kissed her head again, sliding herself onto the bed with Alice, careful not to bump her wrists.

"Can we get a ride there?" Edgar asked the EMT. "We've just been using the provided trolleys and buses, so we don't have a way there."

"Of course sir. We'll let your wife ride with the girl and get a car for you and the kids." Edgar just winked at Eliza, letting her know to play along. It was easier that way.

The ambulance arrived then and Alice was loaded up. Eliza went to get into the ambulance with her, when she felt a hand gently on her forearm, halting her progress. She turned to see Edgar with an odd look on his face. "I'll be there as soon as I can." He said after a few moments, kissing her forehead gently before releasing his hold on her. Eliza climbed into the ambulance, scooting out of the way so that the EMTs could check on Alice. As the back doors closed, she caught a glance of Edgar in the windows. He was still looking at her with that odd expression on his face and Eliza couldn't figure it out. What was going on with him? She couldn't place that look he had – it was almost a mixture of thoughtfulness and surprise. But about what? She contemplated this on the way to the hospital, but gave up upon their arrival. She needed to concentrate on her daughter now.

Getting out of the ambulance, she followed them back to the ER, where Alice was taken to get an x-ray. Eliza came with, she was going to hold her daughter's hand. Arriving at the radiology department, Eliza was stopped by a radiology tech. "Before we go in, I have to ask a few questions. Do you have any metal pins or pacemakers that might be affected by the equipment?" Eliza shook her head no. "Are you pregnant?"

After a moment, she finally replied. "I don't know. Possibly. It's only been 5 days."

"Well, it's too early to tell for sure, but you should probably stay out of this room to be on the safe side."

"Um, okay. I'll be in the waiting room then. Can someone come get me when she's done?" The radiology tech nodded and Eliza made her way to the waiting room. Walking into the room, she spotted Edgar and his kids sitting in a corner. She waved and walked over to them. Taking a seat next to Edgar, she let out a big sigh and closed her eyes. This day had been exhausting and it wasn't over yet.

"Where's Alice?" Edgar asked, picking up Eliza's hand and lacing his with it.

"X-ray." Eliza said, opening her eyes.

"They didn't let you in with her?"

"Well, when I told them that I'm possibly pregnant, no." Eliza whispered after making sure the kids were distracted.

"Do you want me to go in there?" He asked, meeting her eyes.

"No, it's fine." Eliza smiled. "But thank you for offering."

"So, I wanted to talk to you. Sig called me when I was on my way over here. HE wanted to know when I'd be home. He needs some help with the boat. And the people at Disney offered to pay for another vacation after Alice heals. So, I was wondering if you didn't mind heading home early. We can come back after Opies and spend a week here."

"If you need to get home to take care of things – that's fine with me. I don't want you to be worrying about the boat instead of really being here." Eliza answered squeezing her hand. "But, I'm not ready to give you up yet. I thought I had another week with you."

"I know babe, I don't want to leave you either. But, I'll leave all the information for the SAT phone and you can call me if you have any issues. And I'll call you as often as I can, promise." Edgar kissed the side of her head, pulling her close. "I will miss you terribly."

"I'll miss you too." Eliza sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "So, when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow?"

Eliza was silent after this. She understood that he had responsibilities and things to do at home, but she wasn't ready for this to end. They were supposed to be here for 8 more days. While she was sure Alice would enjoy herself more without a cast, she was still reluctant to go home. Their relationship was only a week old and Eliza wasn't sure how it would fare being apart for a whole crabbing season. She'd been hoping to cement things a little more before he left. She was comforted by the fact that they'd dated for almost 2 months over the summer, hoping their time spent together would be enough to keep him coming home to her. _Coming home to me? _Eliza thought to herself. _We don't even live together, why would I think that? _She sighed internally. She was falling for him fast and she wasn't sure what she was going to do about it. While she trusted him, there was another part of her just waiting for the other shoe to drop. There had to be something about him that made him less than perfect. Some might say it was the crab fishing and being gone for long periods of time. But Eliza accepted that about him, knew it was a part of being with him. She'd survived without a man for five years, she could make it a few months without him. She hoped.

A few hours later, sporting a new lime green cast on her wrist and arm, Alice was finally discharged. They made their way back to the hotel, packing up all of their stuff to leave in the morning. Unfortunately, reality had set in and Eliza found herself on her way back to the real world and away from the magic of Disney.

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**Unfortunately, I needed them to leave Disney for my story to progress the way I wanted it to. They'll go back eventually, I have plans for Disney yet! **


	19. Tests

**Here's the next installment. Sorry it took so long for me to update. Things were crazy at home and then I was just lacking motivation. But it's back now and I'll be updating more frequently again! **_  
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**Again, I don't own anything but Eliza, Alice, and Colin.**

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_3 Weeks Later_

It had been 2 and a half weeks since Edgar left. Eliza was lonely, which she found a bit ridiculous. She'd gone 5 years without a man, but going barely half a month without Edgar was driving her crazy. She groaned, placing her head in her hands. She was in deep. The doorbell rang then and Eliza bolted up to get it. Upon opening the door, she was greeted with Laci's smiling face. She held up a plastic bag, shaking it gently.

"Ok missy, let's go do this." Laci said, slipping inside. Eliza sighed, closing the door behind her friend before following her down the hallway. She peeked into Alice's room, seeing her coloring at her desk. She smiled, continuing on her way to her bedroom. She entered the bathroom, her face visibly paling at the sight of Laci sitting on the counter, 2 boxes of pregnancy tests dumped out beside her.

"Um, never mind, I can't do this." Eliza turned around, only to have Laci grab onto her wrist.

"No you don't. You're going to take this test and explain to me what's going through that head of yours." She smiled at Eliza softly. "I'll take one with you if you want."

Eliza bit her lip, pausing to contemplate. She nodded, prompting Laci to let go of her wrist and pass her a test from one of the packages. "Here, its digital. It says pregnant or not pregnant. Didn't want any confusion." Eliza nodded, unwrapping the package and going over to the toilet.

After both women had done their business, Eliza sat on the covered toilet, while Laci resumed her position on the counter. "Spill it. I know you're freaking out."

"I'm just so confused Laci. I keep dreaming so vividly about our future children that I kind of want it to be positive. But the rest of me knows it's way too soon." Eliza shrugged, glancing at her watch. They still had another minute to wait before she could check on her test.

"What are you going to do if you are?" Laci let out a long breath. "Are you second guessing things?"

"I know it seems like that, but I love him. He loves me. We'll work it out. Alice and I will move in with him and we'll figure it out. " Eliza took a deep breath, glancing at her watch again. It was time. "You look first."

Laci sighed and grabbed the stick closer to her. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked back up at Eliza. "Did we mix these up?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Eliza frowned, picking up the other stick. The word "Pregnant" glared back up at her. "Well, this one says I'm pregnant."

"So does mine." Laci whispered. Both women looked up, tears coming to their eyes. They both started crying, hugging each other tight.

"We get to have babies together." Laci finally said through her tears.

"I know, it's exciting, I'm so happy. Why are we crying?" Eliza choked out.

They both started laughing then, giggling uncontrollably. "Because we're pregnant!" They exclaimed at the same time.

After they calmed down, Eliza got out her phone, scrolling to the number for the Northwestern SAT phone. Laci had exited the room a few moments ago, calling Mike on the Time Bandit. The phone rang a few times, until finally a gruff voice answered.

"Northwestern, this is Sig."

"Hey Sig, it's Eliza. I need to talk to Edgar." Eliza said, trying to breathe deep and control her breathing. She heard him sigh and cut in before he could tell her no. "I know it's an inconvenience, and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. And it is."

There was a long pause and finally, "Hey Eliza, it's Ed. What's up?"

Eliza smiled at the sound of his voice filtering through the phone. He hadn't been able to call the last week and she had missed the sound of his voice. "Umm, I have something to tell you." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm pregnant."

She heard a sharp intake of breath and then, "When did you find out?"

"This morning." She felt tears coming to her eyes. Maybe now that she was actually pregnant, he wasn't ready to deal with it.

"I'm happy babe. You gonna move in with me now?" He responded, his voice sounding thick with emotion.

"Yea, when you get back I will." She answered, a grin forming on her face.

"I'll call June and we'll get you moved in ASAP. I'll pay for breaking your lease. I'd just feel better with you in my house." He answered, and then chuckled lightly. "Sig is giving me a strange look. You mind if I share with everyone?"

"I wanna tell him." Eliza couldn't wipe the grin off her face now. She heard Edgar passing the phone and then a gruff 'yea' was her only indication Sig was listening. "Hey Sig, you're going to be an uncle again."

"You're pregnant?" He exclaimed. "Congratulations. Are you sure you're ready for a Hansen child? We can be pretty wild."

Eliza laughed, the grin on her face growing. "I'll send him or her over to your place when they start acting up."

Sig laughed then. "No, you won't." He paused and Eliza could hear him whispering to Edgar. "I'm going to pay to have you moved. Consider it a congratulations gift to the both of you. Let June and Laci help you pack up – you shouldn't be lifting anything."

Eliza giggled at this. "Actually, you didn't hear this from me, but Laci's pregnant too. We found out together."

"Lord help us." Sig muttered. "Well, I'll have June bring the girls and pick up Ed's kids to help. I'll let you say goodbye to Edgar. He needs to get back to work."

Edgar's voice filled the speaker again. "Hey baby. I gotta go, but take care of yourself and our little one. No heavy lifting, no stress. And get lots of pictures if you have an ultrasound before I get back."

"I will. Don't worry. I miss you."

"I miss you too. We're about to haul our first string, so I better go."

Eliza sighed. It's hard to believe that even though he'd been gone for almost 3 weeks, they had only actually left to fish yesterday. There'd been a lot of preparation for the season, and now it was just beginning. Edgar had already warned her that he may not be back for Thanksgiving, but promised to be home for Christmas. "Alright, I love you."

"I love you too. I've got wheel watch tomorrow night, I'll call you then."

With that he was gone. Eliza placed the phone down, her momentary glee overshadowed by the sharp pain in her chest that came from missing Edgar. She made her way out to the living room, where Laci was saying her goodbyes to Mike. Afterwards, both women made appointments to be seen and verify the pregnancies, as well as get their official due dates. They were going in together in the morning.

_The next day_

Eliza sat in the exam room, waiting to be seen by the doctor. They had taken a urine sample to verify it and now she was just waiting. The door opened and Eliza looked up to see a middle aged women entering. She had short blonde hair and a sweet smile. "Good morning, my name is Dr. Gragney. I'm pleased to tell you that you are indeed pregnant. Congratulations." Eliza smiled back at her. "Now, let's figure out your due date."

She sat down at the computer in the exam room. Eliza spoke up, "I can pretty much tell you when it happened. We actually only slept together twice before he left for Alaska. It was either September 28th or October 2nd."

"Well, that would put you due between June 20th and 24th." She clicked a few buttons on the computer before speaking again. "Have you started on prenatal vitamins yet?" Eliza shook her head no. After speaking for another few minutes, Eliza left, setting up an appointment for another month. She saw Laci waiting on her and waved. After comparing notes, they discovered they were due within days of each other. Laci was due June 15th. After getting lunch together, Eliza returned home after picking up Alice from school. They were just finishing dinner when Eliza heard her phone ringing. She immediately ran to get it, hoping it was Edgar.

"Hey baby." He greeted when she picked up. "How was your day?"

"Great! I went to my first doctor's appointment today." She grinned. "I'm due June 20th."

The two of them talked for a while, until finally Edgar said he had to go. "Take care of my baby. I love you." Eliza smiled, tears coming to her eyes.

"I will, I love you too." They hung up after that, Eliza hugging the phone to herself.

She ran her hand over her stomach, still unable to believe that she was pregnant again. And she was so happy about it. If she'd been asked just 6 short months ago, she would have sworn up and down that she'd never fall in love again and definitely never have another child. But here she was with both of those things and she'd never felt more content. Life was looking up for once.

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**I know some people were hoping she wasn't pregnant - but trust me. It all has it's place. **


	20. The Good Never Lasts

**I told you I would be updating more frequently! Here's the next one.**_  
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**As always, I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.**

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_2 Weeks Later on the Northwestern _

The past few weeks had been hard for Edgar. He was happy to be back on the Bering Sea, but he missed Eliza greatly. He'd never been so anxious to get back home. He'd loved his ex-wife, but there was something he felt with Eliza that he'd never experienced before. He didn't realize you could love someone so much. Now that she was carrying his child, he was even more anxious to get home. He just had to get through the rest of the season and he'd have a few weeks off with her before Opie Season started. He was glad she was due in the summer. Yea, he'd have to take salmon tendering off again, but Sig would get over it. He wasn't going to miss the birth of another child. He'd felt like a horrible dad when it had happened with Logan. They finished setting the pots and in a rare moment for Sig, he called them in for a break. Edgar headed up to the wheelhouse, it was his turn for wheel watch and he couldn't wait to call Eliza. He wanted to see how she was settling in to his place. She'd officially moved in two days ago and he hadn't spoken to her yet. As he was headed up the stairs, he heard the SAT phone ring. He sighed, it was probably June and now he'd have to wait to call Eliza.

"Edgar!" Sig bellowed, his voice sounding panicked. Edgar bolted up the stairs, wondering what was going on. He arrived at the top of the stairs, seeing Sig sitting there with a worried look on his face. "Here, talk to June. I'm taking us in to port."

Edgar was confused for a moment, and then his heart began to pound. Something had happened to Eliza, he knew it. "June?" He asked breathlessly, practically snatching the phone from Sig's hand.

"Hey Ed." She said, sounding as if she'd been crying. "Eliza's in ICU."

"What? Why? How?" Edgar frantically asked, his mind racing.

"She was having an ectopic pregnancy. She was at work this morning and collapsed. It ruptured. She almost bled out Ed. It's bad, really bad. She's had 2 blood transfusions and they said if she hadn't already been at the hospital, she probably would have died. She just got out of surgery, but hasn't woken up yet." June was sobbing by the end of her explanation and Edgar just sat there in shock.

"Is she going to be okay?" Edgar managed to get out.

"We don't know. The doctor is talking to her brother right now. They said the next 24 hours are critical." June responded quietly.

Edgar broke down at this point. He began to cry, wiping at his eyes furiously. Of course, the cameras were on him, and he wanted to scream at them to go away. It didn't matter that this was good TV, this moment was private. He dropped the phone, wordlessly storming out of the wheelhouse and into his stateroom. He slammed the door shut, locking it. Collapsing on the bunk, he didn't hide his grief and sobs began racking his body. He didn't know how long he cried, but eventually there was a knock on the door, followed by Sig's voice.

"We'll be docked at Saint Paul in three hours. I've already got you booked on a flight to Anchorage that leaves about an hour after we get there. Then you have a connecting flight back to Seattle. You should be there by morning."

"Thanks." Edgar responded. "I'll pack my stuff."

_12 Hours Later – Northwest Hospital and Medical Center_

Edgar had finally found his way home and made it to the ICU. He arrived on the floor and was greeted by June and Colin, seated outside Eliza's room. He took in the sight of them, feeling horrible that he hadn't been here for this. June looked exhausted and like she'd been crying for hours. He knew the two of them had become close the past few weeks, but was unaware of how close. It warmed his heart to see that his brother's wife was getting so close to Eliza. It would be good once the baby…he stopped, a frown immediately coming to his face. There would be no baby now. His eyes flickered over to Colin, who was crouched low in his chair, his shirt wrinkled and his hair every which way. He looked just as exhausted, and Edgar was glad he was here for his sister. They both looked up as he approached, Colin sending him a forced half smile.

"Glad you're here. You can go see her if you want." He spoke, motioning towards the door. "I needed a break before I lost it."

Edgar nodded, taking a deep breath and entering the room. His eyes filled with tears as he looked at Eliza lying in the bed. He thought she was pale before, but she was almost translucent now. Her hair was a mess, matted and tangled against the sheets. She had a tube in her throat, the tape blocking most of her face. She was hooked up to a few machines, pumping blood and medicine into her. He sat down beside her bed, grasping her hand in his. It felt cold and hung limply. He began to cry again, even though he was sure he didn't have the tears left. Then after a few moments, he started to talk to her.

"Eliza, I need you to wake up. I can't lose you. I can't live without you." He brushed her hair back from her cheek. "I need you to wake up so we can be a family together. I want to marry you and grow old with you. Alice needs you too. We all need you. Just wake up. Please." His voice cracked and he lay his head down on her bed, the tears continuing to flow. This wasn't how he was supposed to come home to her. Without another moment's hesitation, he gently moved her over and climbed into bed with her, taking care not to jostle any of her IVs or wires. He lay beside her and stared unblinking at the ceiling, until he finally fell into a fitful sleep.

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**Sorry everyone, I know this one is super sad. But, it's been part of the plan for a while now and is necessary for the development of my story. Please, no pitchforks! **


	21. Awake

**This is my last one today - the kids are up and raring to go! I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow! **

**I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin. **

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Eliza woke with a massive headache, unsure of her surroundings. She tried to get up, but stopped at a searing pain in her stomach. She looked around, realizing she was in a hospital bed and she was hooked up to a lot of equipment. She then realized there was a tube down her throat and she began to panic. She began to flail, ignoring the pain in her abdomen as she entered a full blown panic attack. Suddenly, she was being held down by a pair of strong arms. Edgar's face was suddenly in her view, shushing her.

"Hey calm down, its okay. I'll buzz your nurse and they'll come take out this tube. But you have to relax before you rip open your stitches."

She nodded her head, tears streaming down her face. It didn't hurt, but she was severely freaked out. After a few moments, a nurse came into view. She smiled down at Eliza. "Good morning Ms. Hanover. Let me check your oxygen stats and then we will see about getting you extubated." After a few more moments, the nurse finally said. "Okay, let's get that thing out. This is going to be uncomfortable. Just take a deep breath in through your nose and exhale through your mouth. I'll remove it on the exhale."

Within seconds the tube was out, but Eliza was left with a gagging sensation and a very sore throat. Edgar was holding her hand, gently rubbing circles on the back of it. Eliza tried to sit up, having forgotten about the pain in her abdomen. She groaned at the feeling of sharp pain and lay back down.

"Just lay still Ms. Hanover. You've just had surgery. Dr. Wells will be in momentarily and she will explain everything." The nurse smiled and walked towards the door. "Just push your button if you need anything."

Eliza nodded, leaning her head back and scrunching her eyes closed. What the hell was going on here? The last thing she remembered was getting a patient's meds together yesterday. Then – nothing. Edgar stroked her hair back from her face and she turned towards him. She opened her mouth, but he shushed her again, placing a finger to her lips. "Don't talk yet. Save it for the doctor if you have any questions."

A tall brunette woman in a lab coat entered then, carrying a chart with her. She introduced herself as Dr. Wells and Eliza nodded in return. She began to explain what was going on, and Eliza's eyes flickered to Edgar. "So, can I have more children?" she finally asked, wincing at using her voice.

"Seeing as how you had a normal pregnancy previously, I don't see why not. It may be a little more difficult this time around however. You only have one fallopian tube now, so the chances are decreased. If you get pregnant again, I want you in immediately for ultrasounds. We can't risk this again." Eliza nodded her agreement. "That being said, I don't want you having sex for 3 months and please don't try to conceive until you've had 3 full cycles. You need to let your body heal."

Edgar nodded, glancing at Eliza. She seemed to be taking this all in stride, but he wondering how much of it she was bottling in. She barely spoke the rest of the day and only picked at her meals. Around 6pm, Colin came in, toting Alice with him. She smiled at her mother and ran over to her bed. "Colin, take Alice home." Eliza said, her voice holding no emotion. She didn't even acknowledge her daughter, instead talked over her head at her brother. Both Edgar and Colin frowned, not answering her. "Now."

Colin ushered Alice back out the door, the poor six year old beginning to cry at this point. Edgar looked at Eliza; she had her eyes closed and her head tilted back. His worry for her immediately increased. She was bottling this in, way too much of it. She wasn't acknowledging what had happened, and she was shutting herself off from everyone. He got up, heading for the nurses' station. He spotted Eliza's nurse and headed over to her.

"Hey, I'm Eliza Hanover's fiancé." Edgar said to get her attention. She looked up and smiled at him.

"What can I do for you?" She asked politely.

"I wanted to talk to someone about Eliza's behavior." He explained what had been going on with her that day, culminating in the scene with her daughter. Eliza's nurse frowned and finally spoke.

"It's sounds like she's having some depression issues. I'll talk to her doctor and we'll get her on some medications to help her through this. I'll also see about some support groups she can get involved in." The nurse paused and looked at him with concern. "How are you doing? I know a lot of people graze over the fact that you've also lost a child."

"I'll be okay if she is." Edgar responded honestly. "We can also try again later, but I can't replace her."

She smiled at him. "Don't let her push you away. I've seen it happen after things like this. Keep fighting for her." And with that she was off down the hallway. Edgar thought about what she said. He would never stop fighting for her.

_ Two days later_

Eliza was being released that morning and so far her attitude had stayed the same. She was withdrawn and quiet; she still hadn't spoken to Alice. Edgar wasn't sure what to do to help her pull out of this, but he needed to try. He helped her into his car, being extra cautious with her. After he got himself in, he started the car, beginning their journey home. He glanced over at her. She was facing the window, her jaw set in a stiff, hard line. He sighed, wondering if what he was about to say to her would help her or push her away more.

"Eliza, you need to snap out of this." He started. She whipped her head around at him, a glare on her face. "Be mad at me all you want. I can handle it. But you need to talk to Alice. She doesn't understand what's going on and she just wants her mother."

Eliza sighed, the glare dropping from her face, only to be replaced by a look of intense sadness. "I know. I'm sorry. I just feel like I'm falling apart."

"I know baby, I know. I'm right here. I won't let you." He reached over, grabbing her hand. She laced her fingers in his, a long breath releasing from her lips. "We'll get through this, I promise."

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**See, she's awake! Pitchforks not necessary! **


	22. The Aftermath

**Figured I'd post really quick. This one is a little short, but hopefully still good!**

**As usual, I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.**

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It had been a few days since Eliza was released from the hospital and she was doing a lot better. At least when it came to her treatment of Alice she was. However, things between Eliza and Edgar were less than ideal. When Alice was home and awake, Eliza controlled herself. But more often than not, when Alice was at school or asleep, she was fighting with him about something. He kept his cool, refusing to yell back at her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Eliza realized he didn't deserve this and that she would lose him if she wasn't careful. But she couldn't bring herself to care about that. Currently, she was lounging in the bed that she shared with him. He was up, making Alice some breakfast. He had told her to stay in bed and he'd bring her some food as well. It was times like this that she realized just how much he did for her and Alice and how much she didn't deserve him. She hoped these moments of clarity were enough to keep him around. She wasn't trying to push him away, it was just coming out. She had a lot of dark moments lately, and the dreams about babies weren't helping.

"Hey baby." She heard from the doorway. Looking up, she saw Edgar. He was holding a tray with a plate of food, a glass of orange juice and her pills. She sighed, and sat up straighter. She was really getting tired of him forcing her to eat. She just had no appetite lately and didn't understand why he wouldn't just leave her alone about it. "You hungry?"

Eliza just rolled her eyes at him, not bothering to acknowledge his words. He knew damn well that she wasn't. She sighed again as he placed the tray on her lap. The plate held scrambled eggs with bright colors of veggies that he'd scattered in them and some fruit salad. It used to be her favorite breakfast, but she just wasn't hungry. As she stared at the plate, trying to will herself to eat, Alice popped her head in.

"Hi mommy. Can I eat with you this morning?" she asked, trying to balance her plate in her hands. Edgar hurried over to her, plucking the plate from her tiny grasp before she dropped it.

"Yea baby, you can eat with me." Eliza responded, patting the bed beside her. Edgar smiled triumphantly and Eliza found herself narrowing her eyes. He'd planned this, she was sure of it. It had to be his latest ploy to get her to eat. Sic her daughter on her. Great. She found herself getting angry at him, clenching her teeth and tightening her jaw to stop herself from lashing out at him in front of Alice. He left the room, returning a minute later with a tray for Alice along with her cup and silverware. He got her set up next to Eliza and then made his way back out of the room.

"Mommy, you've got to eat all of your food and make a happy plate." Alice said in a stern voice. "That's what you always tell me."

Eliza sighed, mentally berating Edgar. She was almost 100% certain he was behind this particular tactic. She was pissed at him – using her own daughter to get what he wants. What the hell was he thinking? "I know sweetheart. I will."

Fifteen minutes later, both of them had cleared their plates and Eliza was finishing up her orange juice. Edgar walked in, his face breaking out in a huge grin at the empty plate in front of Eliza. He cleared both trays and Alice hopped up to go play. A few minutes later, he returned to the room and Eliza fixed her glare on him.

"That was really low Ed." She said, her voice laced with anger. "I can't believe you did that."

He turned to her, a frown on his face. "I'm just trying to look out for you baby. You've obviously lost weight and I'm worried about you."

"I don't need your concern." Eliza's voice began to rise. "You weren't concerned when you knocked me up and caused all of this!"

Edgar looked visibly hurt and he opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again. He turned and headed for the bedroom door, not bothering to look back at her. "When you've calmed down enough to talk, I'll come back."

"Oh yeah, just run away again! You're always avoiding the subject!" She yelled after him. He didn't respond, just continued on his way out the door. That's when she lost it. She broke down, started crying and sobbing. For the first time since it happened, she was mourning her lost child.

Edgar heard her and immediately backtracked, coming back to the bed and climbing in next to her. He held her as sobs racked through her body, her grief finally surfacing. He was rubbing soft circles on her back, whispering to her over and over, "It's okay baby, just let it all out."

They sat like that for a long time, until finally she stopped crying. Edgar looked down at her and smiled softly when he realized she was asleep. He hated to see her like this, but knew that it was better she was getting it all out. Maybe things would finally get better, only time would tell.

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**She isn't going to get better overnight. Poor Edgar, taking it like a champ! **


	23. Christmas is Upon Us

**Here's the next installment! Hope everyone enjoys it! **

**As always, I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.**

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It was fast approaching Christmas and with it, Eliza's birthday. Things hadn't gotten a ton better between her and Edgar, but she was slowly starting to feel normal again. It was now December 18th, meaning that her birthday was only 2 days away. Edgar kept asking her what she wanted, but she only answered with a shrug. At the moment, she was getting ready for the annual Christmas party, thrown for the crabbing families that resided in or around Seattle. This year Edgar was supposed to host it. Apparently it operated on some sort of rotation system. However, with everything that had happened, Mike had volunteered to switch years with Edgar. Besides, the next year they'd have their hands full with their baby. Eliza felt tears prick the back of her eyes at this thought. She was happy for her friend, she really was. But this pregnancy and subsequent baby would be hard for her to deal with. She would also equate their child with the one she lost. She was struggling with this, trying to be the supportive best friend, but still dealing with so much pain herself. Eliza sat down on her bed, absent-mindedly running her hands along the silky fabric. She hadn't spoken to Laci much in the past month, but she hoped her friend understood. She was really trying. Almost as much as she was trying to bridge the gap that had broken open between her and Edgar. Eliza had emerged from her depressed state earlier that week to discover she'd built all of her protective walls back up. She just couldn't bring herself to let them down again. She was tired of getting hurt, and while Edgar hadn't purposefully hurt her, he was the indirect cause of all the pain and suffering she'd endured recently. She knew it wasn't fair, but she couldn't help it. And now, she had no idea how to fix it.

As if her thoughts had conjured him, Edgar appeared in the doorway. "You almost ready babe? We gotta leave in 10 minutes."

Eliza nodded, getting up to find her heels. She was dressed in a rich green cocktail dress, the fabric hugging her curves. Her heels were a rich gold color and complete with her coppery colored hair, Eliza felt a little like a Christmas tree. But Edgar had insisted that she looked "hot" in the dress, so she'd kept it on. After retrieving her shoes, Eliza took Edgar's offered hand and headed for the door. Alice and Edgar's kids were both over at his mother's place, along with all of the other children the various crew members had. This party was strictly for adults, and the teenagers and Snefrid were the childcare for the night. Eliza still felt uncomfortable around the woman, feeling as if she were being constantly judged in her presence. She couldn't deny that Snefrid had been a massive help the past few weeks, always over cooking for Eliza and Edgar and helping take care of Alice. Edgar tried to convince her that she was just trying to help them through a difficult time, but Eliza still felt like she was just waiting for her to slip up.

They arrived at Mike and Laci's and Eliza followed Edgar inside nervously. She hadn't seen anyone other than Mike and Laci since before the Disney trip and she was unsure of how she was going to be regarded. She didn't know how much everyone knew and was bracing herself for looks of pity. More than anything, she was nervous about seeing Josh and Johnathan. She was really scared of how they were going to take her dating Edgar, not to mention the fact that she now lived with him and had been carrying his child. Taking a deep breath, she moved from the hallway to the living room, immediately making eye contact with Josh. He waved at her almost shyly and Eliza found herself giving a quick wave back. She was distracted by being pulled into a big hug and turned to see Laci.

"Hey bestie. Glad you could make it tonight." Laci said, kissing Eliza on the cheek.

"Me too. Look I'm sorry that I haven't been a very good friend." Eliza began, lowering her voice to try and give the illusion of privacy.

"Stop right there girly." Laci ordered in a stern voice. "Everything is fine. I know this has been a difficult time for you."

Eliza smiled at her best friend, hugging her tightly again before making her way fully into the living room. Edgar had gone in as she was speaking with Laci, and she found him sitting in an armchair in the corner, talking to Sig and Norman, who were situated in two folding chairs near him. Upon her approach, all three brothers looked up at her, Norman shooting her a sad smile. Sig just nodded in acknowledgement, and Eliza was very happy that neither of them pressed her for any information on how she was doing. She wasn't really ready to talk to anyone about it yet. She took a seat next to Edgar, scooting her chair in closer to him. While things had not been ideal between the two of them, Eliza found herself wanting to cling to him for comfort. She had always been shy, but this felt different entirely. She knew everyone knew what had happened, and she felt almost violated. Not to say that anyone would use that knowledge against her, in fact she was pretty sure the opposite was true. But she was a private person and the fishing community was like a small town. Everyone knew everyone else's business. Eliza just wasn't comfortable with that right now.

_Speaking of things I'm not comfortable with._ Eliza thought to herself as Johnathan approached her. He took a seat next to Sig, his eyes fixing on her for a brief moment. She was frustrated to see the pity even on his face. She thought she could count on him to not feel sorry for her. With a sigh, Eliza stood again, wandering out to the back porch. It was cold and there was snow on the ground, but she needed a moment to herself. She leaned her elbows against the deck's railings, taking a deep breath and bowing her head. She hadn't really left the house since returning home from the hospital, and she was feeling overwhelmed. Edgar kept pushing her to go out, but after the 5th time she screamed at him, he'd finally stopped asking. Until last week that is. He'd begged her to come out for this party and Eliza found herself unable to tell him no. This was more important to him than just wanting to go out to dinner. This was big for him and she knew he wanted her there by his side.

Eliza heard the door open, not bothering to look up from her position. "Hey. You okay?"

She spun around upon hearing Josh's voice. She tried to cover her startled look, leaning back against the railing and adopting a more casual pose. "I'm fine." She replied back quietly.

"Look, I just wanted to let you know that there are no hard feelings. I know I screwed up this summer and I'm just glad that you are happy with Edgar." He paused a moment, then continued after a sigh. "I'm really sorry about what happened…with the baby."

"Yea, thanks." Eliza found her eyes tearing up and she quickly blinked the tears back. She'd told herself she would be calm about it tonight. She didn't want any more pity than she would undoubtedly have. "I'd like to have you as a friend."

"I'd like that too." He brought a small pink wrapped present out of his jacket pocket. "Oh yeah, just wanted to tell you happy birthday. This is for you."

Eliza blushed, taking the gift. "Can I open it now?"

"Of course. It's not much, but I wanted to get you something." Josh shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.

Eliza tore the paper off, revealing a small jewelry box. She glanced up at Josh, confused that he was buying her jewelry. Her look prompted him to speak, "It was actually Laci's idea. I asked her what to get you."

She slowly lifted off the lid, tears coming to her eyes when she saw what lay within. There was a small keychain with a silver disk, a heart charm, and a single pearl hanging from it. The disk read "Forever in our Hearts". She knew exactly what it was as she had been browsing jewelry like it earlier in the week. It was a remembrance keychain, for lost children. She found herself hugging Josh, fat tears running down her cheeks. It was absolutely perfect, and Eliza was even more upset that she had been so distant with her best friend, seeing as how this had been her idea.

"I'm guessing you like it then?" Josh chuckled, pulling away from her. She nodded, still unable to speak, afraid she would break down into even more tears. "Good. I mean it, I want to be friends. I care about you a lot still, and I don't want you completely out of my life. Friends?"

"Friends." Suddenly the party was beginning to look up for Eliza.


	24. The After Party

**Found some time for a quick update. This will probably be the only one until next week sometime. I've got a lot going on!**

**As always, I only own Eliza, Alice, and Colin.**

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After her talk with Josh, Eliza felt a lot better. She stood outside for another moment, before going to find Edgar. She found him still in the living room, this time it was just him and Johnathan. They seemed to be having a very serious conversation and Eliza was suddenly nervous all over again. They were definitely talking about her. She knew it. She took a deep breath and made her way over, smiling at both men as she took a seat next to Edgar. She laced her fingers in his, finding comfort in his touch. Looking up, she saw Johnathan studying her, a sympathetic look on his face. She rolled her eyes.

"Stop looking at me like that. I've had just about all the pity I can handle." She said sharply.

"Sorry, sorry." Johnathan held up his hands in surrender before standing and leaving the two of them alone.

"Baby, you could have said it a little nicer." Edgar said with a sigh. He looked down, noticing the box in her hand. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's an early birthday present from Josh." A bright smile came over her face. She handed him the box and he cautiously opened it. After looking at it for a moment, he finally responded.

"Well, that was nice of him." Edgar frowned slightly and stuffed the box into his jacket pocket. "I seriously hope he's not trying to make a move on you."

"It's not like that!" Eliza exclaimed, rolling her eyes at him. "Don't you trust me?"

"Never said I didn't." Edgar replied, turning in his seat to completely face her. "Let me tell you something about guys. They don't buy girls jewelry unless they are family, dating, or want to date the girl. What exactly did he tell you?"

"Just that he wanted to be friends with me. He said he didn't want me completely out of his life." Eliza shrugged. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's nice."

"He doesn't want to be just friends with you. He wants to be friends with you while he tries to get you back in his bed. Trust me, I'm a guy. I speak his language."

"Are you seriously trying to tell me who I can be friends with?" Eliza's eyebrow rose along with her voice. "That's not what I signed up for in this relationship."

"No, I'm not saying that." Edgar ran his hand through his hair, exasperated that this seemed to be heading in the same direction all their conversations did lately. Towards a fight. "I just want you to be aware of his intentions. Be friends with him if you want. That's fine."

"Right. You saying that's fine means just the opposite." Eliza took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "You know, it would be a lot easier to not fight with you if I could just have my way with you instead. This no sex thing really sucks."

"You're telling me baby." Edgar pulled her closer, nipping the skin on her neck lightly. "I want you so badly."

Eliza sighed, pulling herself away from him before she embarrassed herself in front of everyone. The rest of the party she felt tense and wound up. They ended up leaving a little early, neither one of them feeling particularly festive anymore. The sexual tension had been building and building between them and their fights seemed to just wind them up even tighter. She was actually kind of looking forward to him going fishing because she knew when he returned it meant they could actually have sex again. She wondered if that would fix the gap they'd been feeling lately. What she really needed to do was talk to someone about everything. She made up her mind that she would fix herself while Edgar was fishing and that everything would be fine when he returned.

They arrived home and they silently went inside. Once inside, Eliza realized she would definitely not be able to sleep. She turned to Edgar, shooting him a playful grin. "Want to stay up and watch It's a Wonderful Life?"

Edgar nodded and she went into the living room to set it up. A few minutes later Edgar appeared carrying a giant bowl of popcorn. They settled in on the couch, Eliza nestling herself under Edgar's right arm. She was pressed as tightly to him as she could be and she realized that for the first time since this all happened, she couldn't feel the massive crack that had developed between them. Deciding to make the most of it, she took a deep breath and cuddled closer. She felt Edgar drop a light kiss on the top of her head at this gesture. She smiled to herself and grabbed the bowl of popcorn. "Thanks for making this for me. Where's yours?"

"Haha, very funny." He reached into the bowl and grabbed a piece tossing it at her blindly. It smacked her in the nose and she gasped indignantly.

"Oh no you did not." She said, grabbing a handful of popcorn and throwing it at him. Before they knew it, they were involved in a full out popcorn war. Shrieking as she was pelted with popcorn, Eliza ducked behind the couch. The popcorn stopped flying and she poked her head out over the top of the couch. Before her head had completely cleared, she was being pelted at close range by Edgar, who had made his way back to the couch. She laughed loudly, falling over the top of the couch onto him. She was still giggling when she realized that she was now straddling Edgar, their faces inches from each other. Both of them stopped laughing and just stared at each other for a minute.

Suddenly she was kissing him, grinding her hips into his. She heard him moan low in his throat and it only spurred her on. She swiped her tongue across his lips and he opened them without hesitation. She thrust her tongue into his mouth, meeting his own with the tip of hers. Their tongues danced inside his mouth until both of them lost track of time. All the while Eliza was grinding her hips against his and she could feel his growing erection. This time it was her that moaned and she bit lightly onto his lower lip, pulling it out with her teeth. His grip on her tightened and he flipped them over quickly so that he was on top. She let out a little squeak and giggled nervously to herself. Both of them knew they couldn't progress past heavy petting and making out, but somehow that made this all the more exciting. Eliza felt like she was in high school again, making out with her boyfriend on the couch as she tried not to get caught.

Edgar leaned down, capturing her lips with his again and resuming their previous activity. He ran his hands up her back, slipping them underneath her shirt. She shivered at the contact and pressed her body tighter to his. Edgar's lips left hers and he trailed his kisses down the column of her throat, pausing to lick the spot where her neck and collarbone met. In that moment he released the clasp on her bra and moved his hand to cup her breasts. She drew in a sharp breath, finding it hard to breathe. She felt like her body was on fire and she was slowly burning with no way to stop it. She heard a soft mewing noise and belatedly realized it was her. He had her more hot and bothered already than any other man ever had. She found herself loving this slow burn and gently pulled up on his hair. He responded, bringing his lips back to hers. They were soon tangling tongues yet again, Eliza again pressing her body to his almost frantically. Before she knew it, she was mimicking the motions of sex, but with both of them completely clothed.

And then, his lips were no longer on hers and his body was no longer pressed to hers. She felt cold at the sudden loss, and opened her eyes quickly. She saw him standing next to the couch, eyes closed and breathing heavily. Eliza frowned, sitting up. "What's wrong?"

"We can't have sex." Edgar muttered as if it were obvious.

"I know, but we didn't have to stop yet." She replied softly, trying to fix her shirt and bra.

"Yea, we kind of did. At least, I had to." Edgar let out a sigh, opening his eyes finally. "Do you have any idea what you do to me woman?"

Eliza blushed, ducking her head to cover her face. She shrugged and he chuckled before joining her on the couch. This time he put a few inches of distance between them. She smiled and scooted closer to him, cuddling up to his side. He sighed and shifted his weight before finally saying, "I'm going to go take a cold shower."

Eliza giggled. "Okay baby. I'm going to go to bed. Want me to wait on you?"

"Promise to keep your hands to yourself?" He answered a smile on his face.

"Of course." She smiled sweetly. They both laughed at this and Eliza found herself thinking that they just might make it through this.

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**I had to give them some happiness after all the crap I threw at them! Things seem to be slowly getting better, don't ya think?**


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, I know that it has been forever. Everything I wrote for a while there came out sounding like crap. Got some inspiration today and went with it. I know it's shorter than usual, but I wanted to write what I could. Hope you guys enjoy it!**

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Eliza woke up to birds chirping loudly. Groaning and moving her face away from the light she reached for Edgar. His side of the bed was cool and she sat up with a frown. It was the morning of her birthday and she was disappointed that he had already gotten up. Eliza quickly tossed on one of Edgar's t-shirts and exited the room. Belatedly, she wondered if his kids were here. Walking in wearing a t-shirt of their father's and some panties may not earn her any brownie points. She tiptoed quietly to the end of the hallway and breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't hear any voices. But then, where was Edgar? Searching the house, she found a note on the kitchen island. Unfolding it she read, _Gone to take Alice to my mother's. The kids are all going to stay there today so we can have some alone time for your birthday. We are meeting them over at Sig's for dinner at 7. Think about what you want to do today. Anything goes. –Ed _

Smiling to herself, Eliza decided to get some breakfast together for them to share. She clicked the stereo on, quickly finding an upbeat station. Cranking the volume, she began to make cheese omelets and biscuits. She was just getting the biscuits into the oven when she heard "Shake It" by Metro Station come on. It was one of her guilty pleasures and she grinned to herself before starting to dance around the kitchen. She finished up the omelets and was checking the biscuits when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Spinning around, she saw Edgar leaned against the island with his arms crossed, a huge smirk on his face.

Immediately turning scarlet, Eliza reached over and clicked off the music. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough. Why'd you turn it off? I was quite enjoying it." He made his way over to her and gave her a soft kiss.

"Oh really?" she asked softly, running a hand down his chest. "I missed you this morning."

Edgar didn't answer just simply gave her another soft kiss. She opened her mouth for him and he slid his tongue inside. They stayed there for a few moments, before he finally pulled away and took a step back.

Eliza frowned slightly, a pouty look overtaking her face. "I wasn't done yet." She pushed him back against the island and knelt down in front of him. He raised his eyebrow at her, but didn't speak. She locked eyes with Edgar and a slow grin appeared on her face. She gently and slowly unzipped his jeans, the sound loud and echoing in the quiet kitchen. After he was unzipped and unbuttoned Eliza slid his pants down his legs. They were quickly followed by his boxers.

"Eliza, what are you doing?"

"Shh, just enjoy it. Just because we can't have sex, doesn't mean I can't do this." He began to speak again, but quickly trailed off when she took him into her mouth. With a strangled gasp, he braced his hands on the counter behind him. She slowly worked his length into her mouth, wrapping one hand around the bottom of his shaft. He let out a long, slow breath. Glancing up at him, Eliza could see that he had closed his eyes. His head was tilted back and he was gripping the counter hard. She was encouraged by this and took him farther in her mouth, before slowly releasing him. She had just the tip in her mouth when she felt a hand tangle in her hair. He gently pulled her towards him, a low moan escaping his lips. They soon found a rhythm, with him pushing his hips to meet her mouth as he guided her with his hand.

"Baby, I'm not going to make it much longer." Edgar managed to choke out. Eliza responded by taking him deep into her throat and swallowing deliberately. With a unintelligible cry of her name, Edgar jerked his hips forward and came. A few moments later, Eliza was back on her feet, a smile on her face.

"When I said think about what you wanted to do today, that wasn't what I had in mind." Edgar said breathlessly, still gripping the counter.

"What, you didn't like that?" She asked, leaning in for a kiss.

"You have no idea how much I enjoyed that." Edgar responded seriously. "Thank you baby." He cupped her cheeks in his hands, pulling her close for a deep kiss.

"Want some breakfast?" she asked after they parted.

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you today and here you are making me breakfast and giving me an amazing blow job." Edgar joked, taking a seat at the small table in the kitchen.

"I really just want to stay in today. Watch some movies and cuddle on the couch. Is that okay?" Eliza sat across from him.

"If we do it naked, you have a deal."

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**Let me know what you think please! I'll try to update again Monday. **


	26. Opilio and Beyond

**I'm BACK! I am a horrible author, not updating for so long. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it! As usual, there might be some smut in this chapter, so here's your warning. As it's been a while, let me just recap. Last chapter was Eliza's birthday and everything was pretty much back to normal for her and Edgar. Before that was the Christmas party where Edgar warned Eliza about Josh's possible intentions with his gift. **

**Again, sorry it's been so long! And I only own my OCs. I wish I owned Ed! **

* * *

The holiday season had come and gone and before Eliza knew it, it was time for Edgar to head out for Opilio season. She wasn't making it easy for him though. She sat curled up in their bed, watching him pack the last of his bags. Sig was picking him up in less than an hour and Eliza was extremely unhappy about it. She sat up with a sigh, bending her knees and resting her chin on them. "Do you have to go?" she asked so quietly Edgar almost didn't hear her.

He stopped his packing and glanced back at the bed. "You know I do." He flashed her a quick grin. "But when I get back, we can have sex again."

Eliza rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. "Is that all you're thinking about?" she asked teasingly.

"Not all, but with a body like that, who can blame me?" He abandoned his packing altogether and crawled onto the bed with her. As if to punctuate his words, he slid a hand softly down her side, coming to a rest at her bare hips. "I'm going to miss you. Not just your body, but you."

Eliza leaned forward to steal a quick kiss. "Not as much as I'm going to miss you. At least you will have fishing to keep you distracted!"

"You'll have work and Alice. Oh, and I wanted to let you know that Louise has agreed to let the kids come over a few times. Apparently Stephanie and Lucas pretty much insisted that they get to see you and Alice even if I wasn't around. And Erik even admitted he kind of likes you."

Eliza raised an eyebrow at this. "I thought she hated me."

Edgar shrugged, rolling to lie beside Eliza on his back. "I think she still does, but she wants the kids to be happy. You are a part of their happiness."

Edgar abruptly stood up, remembering he still had to finish packing. He leaned over and pulled the covers off of Eliza's naked form. "Get up so you can see me off."

Fifteen minutes later, Eliza, Alice, and Edgar were standing on his porch. He saw Sig's truck pull in and turned to them with a sigh. "I guess this is it. I'll call you whenever I can and feel free to call the SAT phone with any emergency. I'd tell you to call if you missed me, but Sig might have my head for that."

"I'll miss you!" Alice cried, wrapping her arms around Edgar and squeezing him tight.

"I'll miss you too kiddo." He ruffled her hair. She released him and took a step back so that her mother could also say her goodbyes. Eliza stepped forward into the recently vacated space and hugged Edgar tightly. "I'll miss you, Eliza. I love you."

"I love you too." She said softly before leaning in for a sweet, slow kiss. "Take care of yourself and come back to me, okay?"

Edgar nodded and kissed her softly again. He was interrupted from saying anything more by the beep of Sig's horn. "Gotta go, Sig's getting impatient as usual."

He tossed his bag into the bed of the truck before hopping in the passenger's side. As Sig drove off, he glanced back at the house, sighing softly as he watched Eliza and Alice still standing on the porch. When he couldn't see them anymore, he faced forward.

"She'll be okay Ed. I told June to keep an eye on her." Sig said finally, breaking the silence of the car.

"Good. I know she's doing so much better now, but I still worry about her." Edgar sighed and shifted in his seat. "I'm thinking about proposing when we get back."

"Really?" Sig shifted his eyes to his younger brother briefly before looking back at the road. "I thought you weren't ever getting married again?"

"So did I." Edgar admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "When she was lying in that hospital bed, I knew I had to take that chance again. I can't imagine my life without her in it. But then she was struggling so much and I didn't want to ask her while she was feeling that way."

"Well, I would be very happy to call her my sister." Sig said. "Now, let's stop talking about all this mushy stuff."

Edgar laughed and the two quickly fell into a detailed conversation about everything they had to do once they got to Dutch.

* * *

This time the months ticked by without significant drama. Both Eliza and Edgar kept themselves busy with work and spoke to each other whenever possible. Eliza was cleared by her doctor for sexual activity again, and she couldn't wait for Edgar to get home. It was now mid March and Eliza was starting to reach the end of her patience. She had spoken to Edgar the night before and he had informed her that they might have to stay out fishing for another 5-6 weeks. She wasn't sure if she could handle that. It was a Saturday evening and Alice had gone over to a friend's house for a slumber party. It was the first time in a while that Eliza was truly alone, and Edgar's house seemed bigger than ever. She had called Laci earlier, but she said she wasn't feeling up to doing anything tonight. Laci had just entered her final trimester and was starting to feel tired all the time. Eliza understood, but now had no idea what to do with herself. She was currently sitting on the couch in her sweats, flipping aimlessly through the channels.

"There's not a damn thing on TV." She muttered to herself, tossing the remote onto the coffee table.

"Good thing you won't have time to watch TV." A familiar voice replied from behind her. Eliza jumped, letting out a little shriek at the sound. She hopped off the couch quickly.

"Ed! You said you wouldn't be home for weeks!" She said before practically launching herself at him. "Liar!"

"I wanted to surprise you." He grinned before kissing her passionately. "I think I succeeded."

"Stop talking and kiss me." Eliza gripped the front of his shirt and pulled his lips to hers. She slid her hands under his t-shirt, feeling the cool skin underneath.

"Yes m'am." He replied before returning his attention to her lips. He broke away again momentarily. "Is everything all good now?"

"If you're asking if we can have sex, the answer is hell yes."

"Well, then I think a change of scenery is in order." With that proclamation, Edgar scooped her up into his arms, guiding her legs around his waist. She latched them around him and let him carry her to their bedroom. She began trailing soft kisses down his neck as they walked, making him stumble more than once. They finally made it to the bed and he dropped her down onto it, before crawling onto the bed himself, one knee on either side of her hips. "God I missed you."

"Me too baby." Eliza sighed, before reaching for his shirt. He allowed her to lift it over his head and she tossed it in the direction of the floor. "I've been so frustrated waiting for you."

"Oh really?" Edgar raised an eyebrow and a smirk slowly appeared. "Enough to make you beg for it?"

"More than enough." Eliza sat up, reaching for her own shirt, intent on removing all of the barriers preventing skin to skin contact. Edgar helped her out of the shirt and then allowed his hands to cup her breasts as soon as the fabric cleared her frame. He was pleasantly surprised to see she hadn't been wearing a bra.

He brushed a thumb over her nipple, causing her to arch her back into him and let out a soft moan. Encouraged by her reaction, he leaned his head down to take her right nipple in his mouth. He circled his tongue over it, sucking gently. Eliza let out another breathy moan and let her head fall back. She'd almost forgotten how damn good that felt. They quickly shed the rest of their clothes and Edgar let his hands trail down her body and between her legs. She cried out at the feel of his hands on her sex, the sensation almost too intense after months without any contact.

"God baby, you're so wet." Edgar murmured, slipping a finger slowly into her. She couldn't find words to respond and instead just bucked her hips against his hand, letting out another moan of pleasure. He rubbed her clit with his thumb as he slowly pumped a finger in and out. After a few moments, he added another finger, testing her resistance. She just cried out again, her back arching off the mattress as her body sought out more of his sweet torture.

"Edgar, I want you." She managed to form the words, albeit they came out a bit breathless and soft.

"Patience baby." Edgar replied, sliding his body down until his head rested on her inner thigh. "We'll get there soon enough."

With that thought, he nipped her thigh gently, causing her to jerk slightly. He licked the spot, before slowly trailing his tongue over towards the center of her body. He moved his thumb, replacing it with his tongue on her clit before lapping at her slowly. A low moan forced itself out her mouth and she moved her hands to grip his hair. He bent his fingers slightly, angling them just right to hit her g-spot. Within minutes, she was clenching around his fingers, her whole body tense with orgasm.

Before she could recover, he was entering her, pushing into her with one long, smooth stroke. She gasped at the sensation, raising her hips to meet his as the sensations washed over her. She hadn't had time to come down all the way and she felt herself quickly climbing to an even higher peak. She sought out his lips, sliding her tongue into his mouth. She could taste herself on him and it only served to push her even higher. He deepened the kiss and she placed her hands in his hair, pulling him closer to her. Within moments she was cresting again, pulling away from his mouth long enough to call out his name loudly. Within seconds he was following her, pumping into her a few more times before stilling, still within her. After a few moments, he rolled over to his back, lying just beside her, their sides touching.

"What a homecoming." He said with a sigh. Eliza just laughed and curled up against his side. Edgar pulled her close to him before pulling the sheets over the two of them. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered before the two of them fell into the easiest sleep either of them had experienced the past few months.

* * *

**I hope this made up for the lack of updates the past few months. I'm going to try and finish this story up within the next month as I don't think I'll have much time once school starts back up. Expect about 8-10 more chapters after this one. **


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